


7 days to win johnny

by dyslexia



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Contests, Drama & Romance, Established Relationship, Exhaustion, Falling In Love, Feelings, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, Nipple Play, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Porn With Plot, Praise Kink, Roleplay, Roommates, Secret Crush, Secrets, Sex Toys, Size Kink, Suspense, WayV - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2019-10-04 10:09:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 42,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17302688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyslexia/pseuds/dyslexia
Summary: Ten sets up a game Taeyong isn't emotionally prepared to play.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> nct needs more fic so here is another contribution

“So when are you going to confess to Johnny?” Ten asked as he bottomed out, slamming into Taeyong. “I know you’ve been crushing on him for months.”

Taeyong opened his mouth, but couldn’t reply with anything. Adrenaline zapped his brain, shock blanked his thoughts, and fuzzy electricity flooded his nervous system. Taeyong arched his back, and groaned. His dick was painfully hard, and it twitched the moment Johnny’s name left Ten’s lips. Ten laughed, his loud cackling rang through the room. He bent over Taeyong’s body, giving him another good thrust. Then he dropped his face down, and licked up Taeyong’s jawline.

Ten was the devil, and he knew bringing up Taeyong’s crush on Johnny was his darkest trick yet.

“What do you mean...?” Taeyoung asked blindly. He blinked old tears from his glassy eyes, but he couldn’t get them to focus. He was too far gone to hold an actual conversation. His head was swimming, and his body was thrumming, begging him to release. He knew he couldn’t come until Ten let him. His racing heartbeat pulsed through in his ears, and then he could feel Ten swirl his tongue along his earlobe. It was too much. Taeyong was disoriented, delirious, and exactly where Ten wanted him.

Ten murmured, “You think I didn’t know? About you feel about Johnny?” He nipped his ear and whispered, “Baby, who do you think I am?”

Ten pulled back and gazed down on his beautiful, flushed Taeyoung. Taeyong’s lips were swollen, his nipples were bitten, and his eye make up was wrecked. Ten was still wearing most of his dance practice clothes, but Taeyong was sprawled out and naked before him. Ten stilled his hips, but kept himself sheathed inside him. He ran a gentle hand through Taeyong’s stiff, damaged hair. Taeyoung involuntarily whimpered at the sensation and Ten just snickered, “I’m your best friend.”

“...Oh that’s what we are?” Taeyong’s voice was still breathy and lost. He closed his eyes, and his head fell to the side. He rolled his hips up, wordlessly begging Ten to get back to fucking his brains out.

“Best friends with benefits.” Ten corrected. He grabbed Taeyong’s shoulders, and forcibly shoved him down. He pounced on Taeyong’s exposed neck, brushing his lips up his skin, and planting a wet kiss. “I’m too much of a slut to be your boyfriend, babe.” Then he buried his face into his neck, pinched one Taeyong’s abused nipples, and began moving again. Taeyong squirmed, and he let out the breathiest, sweetest sounds Ten had ever heard. No one sounded as heavenly as Taeyong in pleasure.

“Who’s going to fuck you like this when I’m gone?” Ten whispered into his skin, his thrusts picking up speed. His dancer hips pinned Taeyong into the hotel’s sheets, and Taeyong was senselessly moaning like a cheap whore, clearly not thinking about how easily sound traveled through the thin walls. Ten couldn’t get enough of it. Any members of NCT could be in chilling in their room nearby.

Ten hushed Taeyong by placing a finger to his puffy lips. “Shh, babe, listen to me.” Tears pricked on the corners of Taeyong’s gorgeous eyes, and Ten kissed them away.

“I’m in WayV now, I’m going to be doing more events in China.”

Taeyong sighed, “So?”

“Have you figured out how you’ll get fucked when I’m gone?” Then Ten slammed into him again, and Taeyong yelped. Ten knew exactly what Taeyong liked most. Ten sped up his rhythm, and Taeyong’s thighs trembled. All he could do was grab fist fulls of the sheets.

Ten smirked, so pleased with Taeyong. “Please think about your other members,” he continued. “No one likes to put up with you when you’re moody, usually because you’re not getting any dick. How will you relieve stress-”

“Stop talking!” Taeyong barked back, but Ten silenced him by plunging two fingers in his mouth. Taeyong groaned around them, and sucked. It sent a shiver through Ten, and Taeyong rolled his hips up, still riding Ten’s cock like his life depended on it.

“Are you too fucked out to listen to me right now, pretty cockslut?” Ten tested.

They had a strict no hickey rule between them, because, of course, they were idols.

SMtown would be furious, but maybe, it was time for Taeyong to get scolded. Ten removed his fingers from Taeyong’s drippy mouth, and slowed the pace of his hips.

Without warning, Ten bent down, and gnawed at Taeyong’s sensitive neck. Taeyong gasped, and tried to yank away, but Ten had him pinned. He punished him with a pretty, blooming mark. Ten took a brief moment to admire his own audacity. Marking Taeyong _,_ the leader of NCT 127 _. That’s going to need a few layers of foundation tomorrow._ Ten chuckled darkly to himself.

Through that sharp bite of pain, Taeyong could tell Ten had broken their only rule. It took everything he had not to come on the spot.

“I’m going to kill yon…” Taeyong groaned, his words slurring together. He wrapped his ankles around Ten’s hips, pulling them tight, urging Ten to end this. Taeyong’s heavy eyelids fluttered, and every part of his body screamed. He watched Ten pull himself up. He grasped Taeyong’s sharp hip bones, and pushed and pulled with purpose.

Taeyong’s breath hitched every time, and Ten joyfully snickered, “You can’t come yet babe, I’ve still got plans for you.”

It didn’t take long for Ten to come. He came with a throaty moan, shameless and performative in his own way. Fucking Taeyong was better than a dream in a dream, and he was going to miss doing this regularly.

He pulled out unceremoniously, tied off the used condom, and threw it at the hotel trash can.

Taeyong laid on his back, feeling empty. His cock was still painfully hard, but all he could do was watch Ten through his eyelashes with his dizzy, disoriented expression.

“That was great, as always. Now it’s time for your reward.”

Taeyong’s head perked up.

_Reward?_

“I got you something special,” Ten announced, his voice chiming through the air. He tucked his cock back into his Nike sweatpants, and jumped off the bed. Taeyong noticed he was still abundant with energy. He weakly moved his neck, his eyes following Ten, more confused than before.

_What was he doing?_

Taeyong blindly felt for the fresh bruise on his neck. He found it right away, and it was sore to the touch. He discovered pressing it sent another sensation through his veins. He hoped it wasn’t too noticeable, it was right at the base of his neck, just above his collarbone.

He decided he was actually going to kill Ten for this.

Ten returned with an unlabeled, white box. He sat beside Taeyong, and helped arrange him so his upper body was supported against the giant pile of downy, hotel pillows. They smelled strongly of fresh laundry detergent.

“What’s that…” Taeyong’s voice dragged. It didn’t sound like his own, it was rough and dry. He tried to blink the weighty fatigue from his eyes.

Meanwhile, Ten’s eyes danced with excitement. Taeyong had no idea what was coming for him.

Ten cleared his throat.“Taeyong. You’re my best friend with benefits, and I love you. I’m not my boyfriend, but I’m sure you understand the difference by now.” Ten lifted the lid off the box, and tossed it aside. “What you deserve is a real boyfriend.”

Ten pulled out an enormous, purple dildo.

Taeyong blinked, still blinded by endorphins and whatever else Ten had stirred up in his brain. He took a second to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. This didn’t compute.

“You got me a dildo… for a boyfriend…” Taeyong guessed, squinting like an idiot.

Ten just smiled.

“No, you don’t get it? This is how big Johnny’s dick is.”

Oh.

 _Oh_.

And just like that, Taeyong snapped back into reality. The fogginess cleared, and this felt like being hit with a sledgehammer.

“No, Ten, you didn’t-” Taeyong’s eyes grew wide, and his lips drew together tightly.

“I didn’t buy you the trial version of Johnny’s dick? That’s exactly what I did. This is symbolic gift.” Ten explained, “I’m going to fuck you with this dildo, and convince you to get yourself a real boyfriend.”

“You’re joking.” Taeyong covered his mouth, suddenly feeling a wash of embarrassment. Even though he’d been naked and vulnerable this whole time, he suddenly felt exposed.

“I’m really not.” Ten popped open his nearly empty bottle of lube.

“What? Why?” Taeyong was still processing the concept of this set up.

“Taeyong, I told you, I’m in WayV now. I’m going to be traveling more, and I’ll be busy.”

Taeyong couldn’t breathe. He didn’t like what Ten was implying.

“I know you better than anyone else. You’re sensitive, and you need someone romantic to support you. You need someone to take care of you. Someone who will hold you at night, blow dry your hair, and comfort you when your pretty eyes cry.”

“Ten…” Taeyong’s chest filled with something warm.

Ten smiled, “Besides, you’ve been crushing for Johnny for awhile. Honestly, it’s been sad to watch. NCT might be too dense to notice, but I’ve seen right through you.”

Taeyong didn’t reply.

“Plus, I know he’s bi.” Ten added, “That’s a fact.”

Taeyong shoved down his humiliation, and swung a real pillow at Ten. Ten giggled, and dodged with cat-like grace.

“I hate you so much right now.” Taeyong said through this teeth.

“You hate me, because I’m right.” Ten’s eyes glimmered in response.

Taeyong switched gears, desperate to get Ten to drop this idea. He pointed at the dildo. “Besides there’s no way that thing is going to fit in me.”

Ten’s lips curled back up into his most mischievous smirk Taeyong had seen.

“And you think _this_ is Johnny’s dick size? There’s no way it’s _that_ big.”

Ten’s devilish smile grew wider.

“His dick is just one reason why he’d be perfect for you,” Ten taunted, “This is accurate. We’ve all seen each others dicks, and this is just what it’ll be like when it’s hard.”

“TEN.” Taeyong warned, and Ten just laughed out loud.

“Flip over.” Ten commanded, “It’s time for me to blow your mind.”

Taeyong’s stomach felt airy with anxiety. _Ten wanted him to be with Johnny?_ He couldn’t stop his soupy mind from spinning. He still did what he was told, he flipped over, and propped himself up on his forearms. He got on his knees, and lifted his ass in the air. He’d never used a toy before.

“Good, now close your eyes, and relax,” Ten forced his legs further apart, and teased his rim with small circles. “Now pretend I’m Johnny.”

“Oh my god, I can’t-” Then Taeyong shut up, because Ten’s hand was on now his cock. Taeyong choked on his breath, and his head dropped down.

“Shh… Just imagine… Imagine it’s his first time with a boy, and it’s… you.”

“Ten, I fucking... hate you,” Taeyong mumbled through the muffling pillows. His face had never felt hotter. His skin burned, and his whole body was vibrating after everything Ten had put him through.

“You love it. I can tell.”

Ten fingered Taeyong briefly. He was still open and pliable, but Ten wanted this to be perfect. As soon as decided he was ready, Ten slicked up the toy, and lined it up with Taeyong.

“Just picture it, Johnny is behind you, ready to fuck you for real. His first time. You feel him against you, and it’s really happening.”

Taeyong sucked air into his lungs, and his thighs quivered. Ten carefully eased the toy just past his entrance, stretching Taeyong wider than he’d ever had before. Taeyong’s breath caught in his throat, and Ten stopped, just holding it still, letting him adjust to the new experience.

“Oh my god.” Taeyong’s legs were shaking now, and everything was whirling again. Ten pushed in further, knowing Taeyong could take it.

“Johnny asks if you’re okay, if you like that, and of course, you nod, because you do, and he keeps going. He loves the way you feel all around him, and he’s hoping you feel just as good as he does.”

And in that moment Taeyong was grateful Ten had arranged this.

The fullness was satisfying, but he wasn’t prepared for the fantasy. His raw brain couldn’t handle Ten gave him encouraging praises, endearingly complimenting how good he was being for Johnny. He imagined what Johnny’s face would look like, all scrunched up and beautiful. He imagined what it would be like to be the person to make _Johnny_ feel good. He imagined his big hands all over his body, exploring everything, and how his muscles would flex when they were together. He would be so gentle, and so sweet, but so hot and hardcore when he wanted to be. Taeyong swore under his breath.

This was torture.

The mental images were stacking up, and Taeyong couldn’t hold it together anymore. His secret desire had been toxic, eating him up from the inside. He’d be thirsting for something he could never have, and somehow, Ten was giving it to him.

_Johnny was his fucking roommate._

Taeyong started sobbing for real. Ten soothingly wrapped a slick hand around Taeyong cock, and Taeyong choked out another sob. Ten bottomed out the dildo, sinking it as deep as it would go. Taeyong choked on his own breath, and Ten pumped his cock twice and whispered: “Taeyong… come for Johnny.”

That’s all it took. Taeyong’s abdomen constricted, and he came hard.

His vision blacked, his chest heavied, and for a moment, his hearing stopped. The familiar whirls of angelic warmth spread through his body, and he collapsed. His tear stained face dropped into the damp, lavender pillows. He let his wobbly arms go limp. He was laying in a puddle of his own cum, but he was too blissed out to care.

He didn’t say anything for a long time. He felt transcendent and exhausted. Physically and emotionally.

Ten beamed. His work here was done. He was proud of it. After a moment, he warned Taeyong that we was removing the toy. It came out mostly on his own, and Taeyong rolled over on his back.

“What the fuck.” Taeyong echoed.

Taeyong continued living in his orgasmic daze, and didn’t see Ten get up from the bed. Ten cleaned the toy in the hotel bathroom sink. He dried it, and put it back in it’s box. Before he went back to the bed, he tucked the toy in the bottom of Taeyong’s backpack, and made a warm washcloth.

“Taeyong,” Ten clapped, “Are you still with us?”

“You… I can’t believe… you...”

_You pretended to be Johnny for me._

Almost as if Ten could read thoughts he replied, “I know, I know. This was extra, even for me.”

Taeyong stared at the white ceiling in disbelief. “I can’t believe you knew I like... him…”

“ _That’s_ what you can’t believe?” Ten let out a loud, one note laugh. “That’s the first time you’ve said it out loud, right?” Ten hopped back on the edge of the queen sized bed. “Does it feel good to admit it?”

Taeyong nodded.

“Good. So what are you going to do now?” Ten prompted, his eyes still glittering and gleaming with mischief.

“Continue pining after him forever, why?” Taeyong was beginning to drift back to reality again.

“Wrong answer, Taeyong.” Ten crossed his legs. “I didn’t get you that dildo so it would replace me. I bought it to _motivate_ you to get yourself a real boyfriend.”

Taeyong blinked. A few puzzle pieces fell into place.

“Shit.” Taeyong realized. “Wait, your scheme still isn’t over.”

Ten’s crafty smile radiated from his face. “Just hear me out. Johnny is hot. That’s just a fact. He’s funny, smart, romantic, tall, and overall, physically perfect.” Ten made eye contact with Taeyong. “To motivate you to make a move, we’re going to have a contest.”

“No.”

Panic flashed through Taeyong’s eyes. He was expecting this.

Taeyong saw where this was going. What Ten was implying was terrifying.

“No. Ten, no.”

“I’m serious.” He stared Taeyong down, perfectly confident, as always. “We’re going to play a game. A race to see who can win Johnny’s heart first.”

“What are you talking about? Are you high?” Taeyong was feeling frantic now.

Ten didn’t listen. “We both know how easy it’ll be for me to snatch him. I could go grab him right now if I wanted. I have no inhibitions about taking what I want. So I’m giving you a fair chance. You’ll get seven days. I promise I won’t try anything for the next week.”

Taeyong sat straight up. He wasn’t going to let Ten do this.

“I’m not competing with you.” Taeyong stated flatly.

“Seven days is plenty of time, besides, I’m not done explaining the game,” Ten continued, “This isn’t about me. It’s about getting you together with Johnny. I think it’ll make you happy, and I leave for Hong Kong in eight days. If you two aren't hitched by the seventh day, I’m going to sleep with him myself.”

“No…” Taeyong froze. He was horrified. “...you wouldn’t.” Taeyong’s voice cracked with actual fear.

“I totally would, and I will, unless you make a move first. See? This game is going to get you to stop sulking, and start flirting. I know you’d never try to kiss him on your own, but now you might.”

“TEN.” Taeyong held his face in his hand, and spoke through his fingers. “This is the worst thing you’ve ever done to me. I can’t do this.”

“You can thank me later.” Ten scoffed. “Or you won’t, and I’ll get to make sweet love with sexy Johnny.”

He whipped his head up. “What do you get from sleeping with Johnny?” Taeyong snapped. He was the one forced to take this seriously now. He knew Ten was shameless enough to actually to sleep with him.

“His dick!” Ten cheered, “His American accent! His body! His everything! I wouldn’t mind a one night stand. It be a great way to spend my last night in town.” He winked.

Taeyong wanted to scream.

Ten hopped off the bed, and grabbed his bag. He tossed a plastic key card at the bed, and it landed with a light tap.

“Tell Doyoung he should take better care of his keycard!” Ten called out.

Taeyoung yelled after him, “You stole this!?”

“I pocketed it so no one would interrupt us, cockslut.” Ten stuck his tongue out, and with one last smile, he slipped out the door.

The heavy hotel door shut behind him, and Taeyong was stunned.

  
  
  
  
  
  


He had seven days to make Johnny fall in love with him.

  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> taeyong can't do this alone

Taeyong felt gross.

He stripped the bed, and tossed the dirty sheets in the hall. He took a quick shower, and slapped on his usual skin routine. Taeyong went through the motions without paying attention to how he actually looked like. He felt frazzled, and too tired to strategize right now. He blow-dried his hair, and wore nothing but pair of pajama pants. He had no idea what time it was, but it didn’t really matter. He knew nothing was scheduled for the rest of the day.

On a whim, he decided to rip open his last facemask. He flopped down on Doyoung’s designated bed, and let the soothing eucalyptus sink into his skin. He closed his eyes, his eyes still feeling swollen from all the tears Ten had wrangled out of him. The hotel room air was chilling against his hot skin. He loudly exhaled, and sunk into the mattress. His ass was sore, and he knew choreography was going to be a bitch tomorrow. He desperately needed to meditate or something, because he had no choice but to bounce back from this. His rigorous life wasn’t going to pause because he desperately needed a day off.

The things Ten had said wouldn’t stop replaying in his mind.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Time slipped away, and eventually, there was a knock on the door. Taeyong distantly heard the click of a roomkey, and he chose not to react at all.

“Taeyong?”

It was Doyoung. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know that.

“What are you doing? Why are you on my bed? I’ve been texting you all night. Why didn’t you come to dinner? You really shouldn’t skip meals. You know you performed really hard today.” His floodgates of concern opened, and Taeyoung tuned out the rest of Doyoung’s invasive questioning.

Doyoung picked up Taeyong’s phone off the hotel dresser. “Wait, you didn’t even read these?” Taeyong didn’t reply. Doyoung tossed his phone at the bed, and he heard it land on the duvet by his feet. He continued shuffling around the room, looking for a jacket to wear. 

“C’mon, get dressed, everyone’s waiting in the lobby. We’re going out for ice cream. I think Johnny’s filming another JCC.” 

Taeyong quietly groaned, and Doyoung didn’t pay attention. He was still pulling through clothes in his suitcase.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come back sooner, but I lost my roomkey. Weird, right? I didn’t have time to get a new one until now.”

Taeyong lazily pointed at the nightstand between their beds. “It’s over there.”

Surprise hit Doyoung’s face like a cold splash of water. His eyes were wide with disbelief. “That’s not possible- I brought it with me this morning-”

“Ten stole it from you.”

“Ugh.” Doyoung frowned. “I hate that guy. He’ll do anything to get under my skin.” He mumbled under his breath.

He dropped his clothes, and walked over to the edge of the bed. “Hey, how long have you been wearing that facemask, you know you shouldn’t wear it longer than-”

Then something made him shut up mid sentence. He stopped micromanaging like a mom, and stood frozen in place. Taeyong finally peaked open his eyes, and peeled off the mask. He sat up a little bit, and Doyoung was pointing at him in horror.

“What is that.”

“Wh…?”

“THAT.” Doyoung pointed directly at his neck, and Taeyong stole a glance from one of the mirrors nearby.

The mark, Ten had so graciously left, was significantly darker than it had been before. It was turning a velvety shade of deep purple. He felt almost as surprised as Doyoung when he saw it. He must have been too tired to see it earlier. He hadn’t gotten a good look until now.

Taeyong slapped his neck, instinctively covered it with his hand. He felt blood rising, and his whole body was heating up. Doyoung hadn’t even started criticizing him yet.

And he didn’t hold back either. “And your _nipples_ too? God Taeyong, are those scars? _Bites?_ ” Taeyong swung his legs off the bed, and got up just to get out of his direct eyesight. “You’re lucky we’re not doing a swimsuit shoot anytime soon. How did you let this happen?” Doyoung followed Taeyong around the room, refusing to let it go. Taeyong dropped his used facemask in the tiny trash can, and Doyoung’s eyes accidentally followed it as it fell.

That’s when he caught a glimpse at the used condom Ten had left behind. Everything clicked in that moment.

“Tae-” Doyoung started, his voice still charged with energy. Taeyoung held up a hand to stop him.

“Please don’t, I don’t want to hear it.”

In a softer tone, Doyoung continued. “Management is going to freak if they find out.”

Taeyong sighed, and plopped down on the end of the bed. Doyoung gingerly sat beside him.

“I mean… I kinda knew you and Ten had this kind of relationship…” Taeyong scoffed, Doyoung continued, “But you’ve always been sensitive about it, so I never said anything.”

Taeyong tilted his head to the side. “Is it really that obvious?”

“Actually, no.” Doyoung reached for his phone. “You two have been careful, but a few of us are pretty smart. I think it’s just Yuta and I who know, maybe Jaehyun.”

“Yuta…” Taeyong smiled, it was almost funny. Of course he’d figure it out first.

He and Ten had been ‘friends with benefits’ for a long time, but it didn’t get really serious until their trip to Ukraine. Filming _baby don’t stop_ changed things. Taeyong had started taking his secret affair for granted. It was easy to forget how their arrangement could impact their careers. The stakes were so high, if either of them slipped, even once, it would affect everyone. Taeyong was keenly aware of the risk.

“I’m going to tell Yuta we’re not coming down to get ice cream.” Doyoung tapped at his phone, and Taeyong was grateful. This lifted a huge weight of anxiety was lifted off his shoulders.

He wasn't ready to see Johnny.

He couldn’t face him yet, not after what Ten had done to him. Taeyong was pushing down his suffering for as long as he could manage. The whole setup was so manipulative and dirty. He was still compartmentalizing the incident. He felt helpless, and for right now, he just wanted to forget the humiliating love contest.

Taeyoung pulled on a regular t-shirt. The neckline was low, so it didn’t hide the incriminating mark, but he didn’t care. No one else was going to see him tonight. Doyoung found extra bedsheets, and he made Taeyong’s bed for him. Taeyong told him he didn’t have to be so sweet. Then they spent the evening together, quietly relaxing and watching tv. Taeyong was thankful Doyoung didn’t pry into the situation any further. They talked about everything else. It gave him time to let it go, clear his mind, and just breathe.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


There hours later, there was an unexpected knock on the door. Taeyong jumped, and scrambled to his feet, ready to bolt at any second. It was late at night now, and it could honestly be anyone. He was ready to hide, but Doyoung told him it was okay. He got the door, and brought Yuta into the room. The comforting scent of take-out flooded the air, and it reminded Taeyoug how hungry he was. He’d been too wiry and stressed out to feel it.

“Hey Taeyong, I thought you might want to eat _another_ round of Thai food.” Yuta’s knowing smile was plastered wide across his stupid face. Taeyong didn’t want to think about how long Yuta had been sitting on that joke. He would have laughed if the ordeal wasn’t still a tender topic.

“Hi, Yuta.” Taeyong replied. Yuta brought over the warm plastic bag of take-out, and it felt so heavy when he set it in his lap. Yuta made himself at home, lounging comfortably on his fresh bed. Doyoung shut off the TV and joined them too.

“Are you gonna thank me?” Yuta prompted.

Taeyong smiled and sarcastically thanked Yuta in Japanese, with a little bow and everything. Yuta threw his head back and laughed, while Taeyong did his best not to spill the massive serving of Pad Thai.

“Wow, you really did get gnarly, look at that.” Yuta’s eyes were glued to Taeyong’s neck. “It’s even worse than how Doyoung described it.”

Taeyong turned to Doyoung. “You told him!?” Fear was zipping through Taeyong’s system.

“Only him, I promise,” Doyoung clarified. “I just knew you were hungry.”

“But he didn’t say much about it.” Yuta cupped his face in his hands, like he was waiting for a thrilling bedtime story. “And I want to hear everything.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Taeyong firmly said between bites.

Doyoung interjected. “You seem more stressed than usual. I feel like something happened, something different. You’re usually so happy after you spend time with Ten. It’s just…” Doyoung paused, and looked into Taeyong’s eyes, searching for an answer. “...I’ve never seen you shaken like this. I want to understand.”

Taeyong blinked. He didn’t realize he was doing such a poor job of hiding his anxiety.

Doyoung cracked a concerned, gentle smile. “Can tell us what happened, Taeyong?”

Mentioning Taeyong’s nervousness had made it swim right up to the surface. His lungs felt tight, and his hands felt like they were on the verge of shaking. He was terrified, and he wasn’t able to explain why. He hated that part of it. He couldn’t explain why he was so upset without giving his selfish secret away. His feelings for Johnny were the one thing he’d never wanted to confess to anyone. The situation was just too complicated. Not only was he worried out of his mind, but he was making his friends worried for him. He understood the importance of relying on others, but he couldn’t overcome that final level of insecurity.

Telling them about his feelings for Johnny could shake the core dynamics of the group. He was reluctant to risk destroying NCT 127. He was afraid of what they would think, and even though he trusted them, he just… couldn’t give them this. It would be awkward. He wanted their help, but he just couldn’t ask for it.

The love game was going to be impossible to win.

Yuta turned away from Taeyong. “Just eat your second serving of Thai, and I’ll tell you all about the fantastic evening you missed.”

Then Doyoung and Yuta had a conversation about the ice cream trip. Nothing extraordinary had happened at all, but that was perfectly nice to listen to. Winwin had dropped his ice cream and Yuta bought him another. They all played basketball afterward, and some of the older members went to a bar. It kept Taeyong’s mind distracted, and helped his body relax again. Listening to the conversation was simple and comforting.

Taeyoung finished his food, and felt much better after eating. He felt whole, and thankfully, less nervous. He was ready now. Taeyong had decided how to approach this. He wanted their help, but to get it, he was going to have to lie. Taeyong didn’t like lying to his closest members, but he had no choice.

There was no way he was going to tell them he might be a little in love with Johnny.

He raised his head, and wore as serious of an expression as he could muster. Yuta looked giddy with anticipation, and Doyoung looked so serious it was unnerving. Their trusting faces sent a small pang of guilt through his gut.

“I really need your help,” Taeyong began, “You two need to promise me you will never repeat this to anyone, I mean it.” He stretched his sweaty fingers, trying to ignore the uncertainty that was building behind his words. They earnestly nodded, and Taeyong continued on.

“Johnny is in danger.”

“What?” Both of them said it at the same time.

Neither of them understood how this part was very very true.

Taeyong sucked in a deep breath. “He’s in real danger, and you need to help me keep him as far away from Ten as possible. I can’t tell you what it is, but he’s got a bad prank planned. I just can’t stop it on my own.” This voice dwindled as he asked them, because most of what he said _was_ true. Unfortunately, his fear was absolutely real.

Yuta cocked his head. ”Why would Ten prank Johnny? Doyoung sure, but why Johnny?”

Doyoung smacked Yuta on the arm. Taeyong’s mind blanked. He decided to just ignore the question.

“Will you guys promise to help me keep them from interacting? Especially before Ten goes on his trip to China?” Taeyong’s tone was urgent.

“Well, that won’t be hard.” Doyoung pulled out his phone, and opened the SM calendar. “Have you seen his schedule? It’s back to back WayV promo work. He’s doing interviews, photoshoots, and rehearsal everyday until he leaves.” Taeyong leaned over, and peered at the schedule. “He doesn’t get a break until-“

“...eight days from now.” Taeyong finished the sentence for him. He didn’t need to look at the calendar to know that. Ten had vaguely warned him. Taeyong’s mouth felt dry, and this blood was running cold again. Ten’s scheme was better planned than he’d thought. He was serious about this.

Taeyong didn’t stand a chance if he didn’t change _something_ by next Saturday. The reality of it was starting to sink in.

Yuta ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, Taeyong, I can tell Ten is going to do something crazy, whatever. That’s normal for him, but I don’t understand. Why does it bother you? Besides, that doesn’t explain why he bruised up your body. Why did he give you the worst hickey I’ve ever seen?”

“I don’t know,” Taeyong admitted, “I think he just did it, because... he could.” Taeyong honestly had no clue why Ten dared to leave such a bad bruise. It was going to be so irritating to hide, and it just jeopardized both of them.

Doyoung’s head perked up like a rabbit, his whole body language changed. His eyes were wide awake, and he was a alert, just like when he solved a puzzle or got an idea.

“I figured it out.” Doyoung announced. “I think there is meaning behind it. I think they’re connected. Ten wouldn’t mark your body without a cause. I think... “ He paused.

“...the bruise is a reminder.” He turned to Taeyoung, full sympathy in his gaze. He had a big piece of information Taeyong hadn’t figured out yet.

Taeyong’s throat tightened. He forgot Doyoung was really that smart, and maybe, he realized what was going on. 

Doyoung cleared his throat. “Hickies, on average, take about seven to eight days to fully heal. If untreated, they can last anywhere from five to twelve.” Doyoung was still working something out, Taeyong and Yuta watched him talk it out. “Ten is definitely going to act in a week, and whatever it is, I think he wants Taeyong to be forced to think about it everyday.”

“What.” Taeyong hadn’t thought of that. Taeyong’s mouth hung open dumbly. This was creepy. He was impressed by Doyoung’s deduction skills, and the nearly poetic components to Ten’s evil plan.

“And…” Doyoung spoke hesitantly. “I think Ten is confident he’ll succeed, because he knows his threat will paralyze Taeyong with stress. Nothing stands between him and whatever he’s wants to do in a week.”

“How did you work that out?” Yuta asked, he sounded just as amazed as Taeyong felt. Taeyong still couldn’t get himself to talk even if he wanted to.

“Simple, Ten is chaotic, but he is also an artist. I think he’s manipulating Taeyong to get him to do something, or maybe not do something. There’s still a big piece of this I don’t understand..”

In that moment, three things happened simultaneously. Taeyong’s phone chimed, Doyoung asked a question, and so did Yuta. Taeyong reached for his phone, and didn’t hear either of them.

“What’s going to happen to Johnny?” Doyoung asked.

Yuta talked over Doyoung, not caring what he had to say anymore, his phone was about to die. “Hey Taeyong, can I borrow your phone charger?” Yuta slipped off the bed, and already had his paws deep in Taeyong’s backpack. He dug for Taeyong’s charger, assuming he would get permission, but unexpectedly, his hands brushed against a smooth, white box.

“Taeyong, what’s going to happen to Johnny?” Doyoung repeated, more urgently this time.

Taeyong still didn’t hear him. He was stuck staring at his phone screen, his grip was weak, and his body was barely breathing. He opened the full message, the world around him dissolved. Warm, familiar feelings of sweet fondness swam to the forefront of his mind, blocking out everything else. It was just Taeyong, his phone, and the loud pounding of his heart.

  
  
  
  
  


**From: Johnny Seo [11:25 PM]**

I hope you’re feeling better

but dont forget

letting yourself have fun is important, you deserve it

come out with us next time

  
  
  
  
  
  


In Taeyong’s quiet, tiny realm, he had a revelation.

He cared about Johnny too much to let Ten touch him.

The worries he’d been trying to ignore all night, hit him like a bullet. Taeyong could picture how Ten would pick Johnny apart. How he could push him up against a wall, or shove him down on the nearest, softest surface. Taeyong bet he would kiss him, and snap a video, just so he could send it to anyone he wanted. He’d have a great time, and Johnny could go along with him, because he probably would. Ten was seductive, and Johnny was the sweetest person Taeyong had never met. He wouldn’t stand a chance against a demon like Ten.

Johnny’s text reminded him what was at stake here. Taeyong decided he couldn’t sit back, and let things play out. He needed to protect him.

He needed his friends to do it. Taeyong blinked out of his personal hell.

“Taeyong?” This was the third time Doyoung had called out his name.

Meanwhile, Yuta just pulled out the long, white box from Taeyong’s backpack. He was just about to see what was inside. He had the top cracked open when Taeyong finally landed back in reality. The second he saw what was going on, Taeyong launched his body off the bed, and slammed his hand on the box, sending it flying out of Yuta’s hands. The lid fell off, and the massive, purple dildo rolled across the hotel carpet. A note Taeyong had never seen before fluttered to the floor beside it.

They were all quiet for three seconds. Then Yuta broke the silence with hollering and cackling laughter. Doyoung reached for the slip of paper

“You have seven days…” He made eye contact with Taeyong. “What does this mean?”

Yuta was crying with laughter, “Why do you have such a big dildo?”

Taeyong looked at his friends head on. He had enough courage to get through this. He didn’t let the looming embarrassment touch him. He cut the scene with the firm voice he used as their leader, jumping over that daunting hurdle of anxiety to tell the truth. He realized he needed his friends more than ever.

“Ten gave me one week to hook up with Johnny, or he is going to sleep with him instead.”

Yuta’s mouth was wide open, and smiling at the same time. The pieces had fallen into place for him. He got it.

“Are you serious?” Doyoung asked, still clueless.

“I really wish I wasn’t.” Taeyong picked up the dildo and put it away with as much grace as he could. He put it his backpack, and kicked it under the bed.

“Why?” Doyoung echoed.

This was the part Taeyong didn’t have the courage to say out loud yet.

“Doyoung,” Yuta rested his hand on his shoulder, “Just think about it. You’re a very smart boy.”

He still seemed confused, but then Yuta nodded a few times, and whispered something into Doyoung’s ear. Then Taeyong watched in horror as understanding slowly flooded through Doyoung’s face. He blushed, and glanced at Taeyong with new eyes.

Like a train Taeyong couldn't stop, he said it out loud.

Doyoung spoke quietly. “You… like... Johnny…?”

Taeyong sat back on the bed, hung his head down, and threaded his hands through his hair. He never wanted this to happen, and now that he was thrust into this moment, Taeyong wanted to die on the spot.

“This is so fucked up.” He mumbled.

Yuta sat next to him, wrapping an arm around this shoulder. “This is only the beginning. This week is going to suck for you, Taeyong. You crumble at the smallest displays of affection.”

Doyoung was still a little stunned. He kept standing a safe distance away, and let Yuta talk to Taeyong. He listened, and didn’t interject. That’s when Taeyong explained what really happened. He let it all out, and explained how Ten had jumped him with this scheme, and how it made him feel. There was no way out now, he had to get with Johnny, or watch Ten take him first. Yuta was impressed with Ten’s capability for sheer cruelty.

Yuta and Doyoung swore not to tell anyone. Yuta left shortly after that, promising to think of a plan in the morning. Taeyong almost begged him to just forget it, but there was no turning back now.

He was going to save Johnny.

When the lights were off, and they were both under the covers, Taeyong finally replied to the text.

  
  
  


**To: Johnny Seo [11:54 PM]**

  


ok i’ll come next time

see you tomorrow

  
  


Just a moment later, he saw the grey typing bubble, and he got a reply.

  
  


**From: Johnny Seo [11:54 PM]**

  


good night taeyong

go to sleep

  
  


Taeyong’s heart swelled with those unwelcome feelings again, and he just set his phone on the nightstand. He had no idea what this week was going to be like, but he knew there was no going back now. Yuta and Doyoung understood him, and the position he was in. He felt a little hopeful, because maybe, they’d find a way solve this. Could they find a solution that doesn’t end in flames? Maybe, that would be possible now.

Taeyong shut his eyes, and waited for sleep to take him.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're interested, here is my writing [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1LuO4jFsoOsD8y7t3vHt8e) for this fic


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny was what heaven smelled like, and Taeyong wanted to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's..... JOHNNY!

Yuta declared, “We’re going to trick Ten.”

It was 6 AM, and they were sitting tightly in the back of a taxi. Yuta sat in the middle, with Winwin to his right and Taeyong to his left. Taeyong hadn’t been awake for longer than twenty minutes, and he wanted to get another nap in before they got to the airport. Now that Yuta had brought the love game up, he was wide awake.

“Yuta! Shut up, we’re not talking about this now.” Taeyong spat back. Yuta smiled with all of this teeth, and thought about how sleepy, cranky Taeyong just looked like an angry cat. To him, his frustration was cute. Taeyong gestured wildly to their other passenger, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Winwin is _literally_ , right there.”

“Oh, Winwin knows.”

“WHAT.”

“Oh yeah, I told him right after I left your room last night, sorry.”

Winwin piped up. “Sorry, Taeyong.”

“YUTA.”

“Oh whatever, just listen to me-”

Taeyong was too angry to let him talk. “I told you not to tell anyone! Now _Winwin_ knows.”

“It’s just Winwin, and not like he’s going to tell anyone. Honestly, this is your fault Taeyong, how could you expect me to shut up about this?” Yuta could be a bitch sometimes.

Taeyong let out a loud groan that filled the entire car. The love game wasn’t just drama, it was a very real problem that could have lasting effects on his _life._

“But I promise you won’t regret it, just listen to me, I came up with a foolproof plan for you.” Yuta offered another smile, and this one made Taeyong soften a little bit.

“Lay it on me, you fucking traitor.” Taeyong leaned his head against the cold window, and stared at him expectantly. It was going to take a lot to redeem his trust.

Yuta cleared this throat. “We’re going to try to trick Ten. We’re going to make him believe you and Johnny are getting closer, without you two actually dating.”

Taeyong frowned. “Sounds like it won’t work.”

Yuta defended himself. “You don’t have to do anything, just leave it to us, and we’ll give you chances. Look, the only reason I settled on this was because I know you don’t have the courage to make a real move on Johnny.”

Taeyong scowled so hard it made his face ache. Yuta was right, and that hurt.

The rest of the drive was uneventful. Considering the circumstances, they were all sleepy. Yuta didn’t elaborate on his plan, and Taeyong didn’t ask. Once they arrived at the airport, they rejoined with the rest of NCT. Everyone sent off their luggage, went through security, and no one treated him any differently. Traveling was a normal part of their routine, so Taeyong just went through the motions. He focused on tilting down his hat, and pulling up his black turtleneck when they moved passed the fancams. No one needed to see how wreaked he still looked. It didn’t help that he hadn’t had time to put on a layer of makeup. His skin was responding to his new wave of stress, and his eyes looked swollen and sunken in. It wasn’t a good look to sport in public.

As the massive group walked through the airport, Taeyong sensed the sting of eyes on his back. He turned around to catch the culprit, and he locked eyes with the devil himself. It was Ten. He was walking with Winwin, looking bright and radiant as per usual. He was totally unaffected by yesterday. His cat-like eyes and curling smile looked pleased to see Taeyong so destroyed. Taeyong didn’t give him another second. Without telling management, he broke from the group, and fled to the nearest Starbucks kiosk. Taeyong had a bad habit of escaping. He just didn’t have the energy to confront Ten today.

  


Eventually, Taeyong found the gate, and rejoined the others with a dark chocolate frappuccino. He promised himself he wouldn’t panic like that again, and it was seriously time to get his worries under control. People would notice if he acted differently for too long. He selected a seat by Doyoung, and pulled his hat over his face so no one would be tempted to talk to him. Through a sliver of light under his hat, he took a peek at Johnny’s location. He’d been doing this all morning. It was important to know where Johnny was so he could stay a safe distance away. And right now, he was sipping from a disposable water bottle. He listening to Jaehyun chat in English, just two rows in front of him. Taeyong watched his throat bob up and down as he swallowed the water. His glistening lips were a little hypnotizing, and Taeyong ended up watching him drink the whole bottle. Taeyong wondered how Johnny even made hydrating look sexy. That’s when he realized he’d been staring for _way_ too long. He bit his lip, and drew back under his hat like a turtle into its shell. He prayed no one noticed.

Taeyong sipped his sugary coffee in darkness, and accepted it. He was fucked.

Later, they lined up at the gate, and boarded the plane. Everyone had shared their seat numbers with each other beforehand, so Taeyong knew he was assigned to sit with Taeil. He had nothing to worry about. They had a spot in the back of first class, and Taeyong arrived at their row first. He claimed the window seat, and pushed his backpack under the seat in front of him. He leaned back, got comfortable, and was shooting for a real nap this time.

Just as he closed his eyes, he felt a six foot tall shadow blocking the lights above.

“Hey.”

Taeyong’s eyes snapped right back open, and his whole body jumped at the voice. He felt the adrenaline spike his system, and his fight or flight instincts kicked in. He was never going to know peace. Even though that voice was smoother than honey, right now, it felt like the internet’s worst jump scare. Taeyong was petrified. He looked up, and blinked dumbly, trying his best not to look like a disaster.

“Doyoung asked me if Taeil could take my spot, because he wanted to talk about… singing? I guess? Sounded weird, but I was like, _okay_. Anyway, is this Taeil’s seat? Can I sit with you?”

Taeyong nodded stiffly. His joints felt heavy, and his body felt strained. He moved to yank his hat back over his face, but his hand fell through air. He’d forgotten he’d stored it in his backpack before boarding, and it would be too awkward to take it out now. Johnny was here, and he going to be sitting next to him for the next three hours. He had nowhere to hide anymore.

Taeyong couldn’t think of a worse situation to be stuck in today. He still hadn’t figured out what to do about the fucking love game. He wanted to resolve it in the best way the leader of NCT 127 would. He wanted to be smart and mature about it, but there was nothing reasonable about the challenge Ten had thrown on him. He felt cornered, and dangerously unprepared.

Johnny moved around the plane to help random people put their carry ons in the overhead compartments, because he was tall, and perfectly charming like that. It gave Taeyong a little time to cool his blushing face with his cold, clammy hands. It didn’t make much of a difference. He knew he still looked like shit, like embarrassed, anxious shit. Every part of his physical body felt sore or uncomfortable. Some of those pains were obvious side effects from his illicit activities yesterday, but mostly, it was from the new, nervous layer of sweat that wouldn’t leave him alone.

Taeyong’s mind reeled as Johnny came back, and sat down beside him. It was funny to watch him fold his long limbs into the tight space, and if things were normal, Taeyong would be making fun of him for it. Johnny’s elbows accidentally knocked against Taeyong’s on the armrest, and Taeyong jerked back fast. His breath hitched at the slight physical contact, and he felt humiliated that something so small could have such a noticeable effect on him. Taeyong’s throat felt scratchy and dry as he tried to stop watching Johnny bumble around.

Taeyong’s phone chimed, and he glanced at his unread messages.

**From: Yuta Nakamoto [7:32 AM]**

gambatte, taeyong-kun!!!

you’re welcome <3 <3 <3

  
  


**From: TEN [7:35 AM]**

i see you

😂😂😂

**View Attachment From: TEN [7:36 AM]**

There was a shitty, zoomed in picture of Taeyong’s face in the exact moment he’d first heard Johnny’s voice. His eyes were comically huge, like he’d been scared to death. He looked like terrified baby animal. Overall, it was a horribly embarrassing picture.

“Taeyong? Are you feeling better?” Johnny had started talking.

_Shit._

Taeyong glanced up from his phone, and connected with Johnny’s eyes. They were soft with concern, and Taeyong melted into his next life. Johnny looked gorgeous like a god, with his hair perfectly swept to the side like it always did. He could smell the distant drift of his expensive shampoo, and the tempting, artificial cherry from his subtle lip tint. He was lovely, but too close for comfort. Taeyong could feel his heart crumbling, and his confidence along with it.

“Ah yeah, I-I’m okay.” Taeyong scrambled, unable to invent any acceptable explanations for his panicky behavior.

“Did you sleep last night?” Johnny barely moved his long arm, and his big hand was already checking the temperature of his forehead. His hand was big like a tiger paw. “Do you need to get checked out? You’re burning up, and you look kind of sick, no offence. I can’t help but be worried, we have a big day ahead of us today.”

When he leaned into Taeyong’s space, that’s when Johnny’s scent had enveloped everything. The rest of the world fell away, and Taeyong’s mind was lifted with fantasies. Risky images pounded his imagination, and Taeyong unwillingly pictured Johnny so clearly. Taeyong glanced down at Johnny’s open lips, and wondered what those lips would really feel like. He felt Johnny’s eyes all over him, raking up and down his body, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Taeyong pulled away from him, but the air between them still smelled like Johnny.

Johnny was what heaven smelled like, and Taeyong wanted to die.

“I think… I just need a little more sleep.” Taeyong muttered a little too breathlessly.

Johnny pulled out his airpods, and nodded. He understood Taeyong didn’t want to talk right now. “Okay, well let me know if you need anything. If you want, I can do your makeup before we land, you know how the Seoul airport is. Oh, and I have snacks.”

Taeyong felt like he’d been holding his breath for a long time. He was too hot, too nervous, and tempted to jump off the plane and walk to Seoul. His phone chimed again, and he escaped the moment to check his new messages.

  
  


**From: TEN [7:38 AM]**

palm him through his jeans

then suck him off in the bathroom

💕 **✈️** ✨🍆💕🍆🍆🍆💕

**You have blocked TEN from messaging you.**

  
  
  


After blocking Ten, he slipped his phone in his pocket. The plane moved down the runway, and Taeyong finally shut his eyes. This time, he was begging for sleep to take him.

  
  
  
  


For the first time in twenty-four hours, Taeyong was peaceful. His nap was great, and now he was waking up naturally. His gentle return to consciousness was warm and slow, like tiny ocean waves lapping at his toes. He came back little by little, not really remembering where he was, who he was, or what was going on. He felt supported, cozy, under something soft and toasty. He distantly heard the snap of an iphone camera, and he peaked open his eyes to see what planet he was on.

His head was nestled on Johnny’s shoulder, and he was under a Chicago Bears blanket he hadn’t packed. It was definitely Johnny’s.

Just like that, Taeyong snapped back into reality. He sat up, too quickly, and his head rushed with a wave of dizziness. He threw off the plush blanket, but it was far too late, Johnny’s intoxicating smell had embedded into his clothes. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he heard soft laughter across the otherwise silent cabin.

“Good morning, Taeyong.” Johnny greeted lovingly, just like he normally would.

Taeyong had been so delightfully warm and happy, but now he was freaked out and frozen. Johnny’s phone vibrated too, and he checked it with a smile. “Hey, look at this.” Johnny leaned into Taeyong’s space, and showed him what the notification was.

“We look really cute, don’t you think?” Johnny was still smiling. “Wow, I haven't seen likes jump like this in a while, it’s only been a minute. I think it’s because of you.”

Someone sitting in front of them had snapped a picture. Even though they were on an airplane, someone had posted it to instagram immediately. Taeyong was sound asleep on Johnny’s shoulder, looking like the angelic idol he was. The filter was sun-tinted, so it washed out the imperfections of Taeyong’s unpampered skin. Taeyong thought he looked too vulnerable. Johnny had his eyes closed too, with his cheek resting against Taeyong’s hair. They looked gorgeous together. It was a beautiful picture, and it made his stomach curl painfully.

“I have to go.”

Taeyong tossed the blanket in Johnny’s lap, and escaped. He stepped over Johnny’s awkwardly long legs, and raced to the bathroom. He locked himself inside, and began crying through his hands. He covered his mouth to make sure no one could hear him sob. Taeyong was falling apart, because there was too much pressure behind Ten’s stupid contest. He didn’t know how he was going to last through the next week of scheduling. He couldn’t wave a wand, and make Johnny have feelings for him. But the real problem was, Taeyong couldn’t stop himself from loving Johnny. Johnny wasn’t going to disappear. He wasn’t going to stop being amazing. He wasn’t going to stop acting so generous, and looking so effortlessly sexy. It was harrowing at this point, and Taeyong was scared.

He wished he could confess his feelings, he really did. He wished he could flirt, send texts full of heart emojis, and do all of ridiculous things he wanted to. If they weren’t idols, maybe he would be great at it. He hated how easy it was to think about, but actually impossible to have. He wished he could sleep on his shoulder all the time, then kiss his lips, and sleep in his arms. Taeyong knew that’s all Ten wanted for him too, but he couldn’t ask that of Johnny. Not in reality. Their world was too fragile for a risk like that. Taeyong’s mouth tasted like despair, and he hated it. 

Then there was a knock on the door.

Taeyong wiped his face off with his sleeve, and opened it, ready to give up this temporary solitude. Instead, the breath was knocked out of him, and he was pushed right back in. He’d walked into Johnny’s chest, but instead of letting him pass, he stepped forward, forcing both of them both inside the micro-bathroom. He locked the door behind them, and Taeyong’s upper back was thrust against the mirror and his ass against the tiny sink. Johnny was too big for this bathroom regardless, and now it was physically impossible for both of their feet to have space on the floor. Johnny was right in his face, and now that he was getting a good look at, he filled with surprise.

“Taeyong! Oh my god, what’s wrong?” He moved a hand to wipe Taeyong’s water stained cheek, but Taeyong swatted it away.

“What are you doing here!?” Taeyong was more confused than upset. His heart raced as he blinked old tears from his wet eyelashes.

Johnny held up a sparkly, light blue pouch. “I brought your makeup bag. I don’t know if you remember, but I was serious about offering to do your makeup before we touch down. We’ll be in Seoul in fifteen minutes. I thought I could do it in here, I mean, it’s tight, but there’s a mirror.”

Taeyong’s was in disbelief. He was touched, stunned, but still very confused. It was a bizarre idea, but he considered taking the offer. If there was anything he needed right now, it was a makeover. He wasn’t going to turn down Johnny’s kindness.

“Can you do makeup? I can’t remember.” Taeyong squinted at Johnny.

“I was on Lipstick Prince. You could say I learned a few things.” Johnny offered a reassuring smile, and Taeyong decided to trust him. Even if he wasn’t that good, anything would make him look better than he did now. Taeyong was grateful.

“Can you wash your face?” Johnny asked. Taeyong nodded, and awkwardly twisted so he could bend over the sink. Johnny squished behind him, and Taeyong couldn’t help but feel embarassed by how Johnny was pressed against his ass. The pose was awkward, but Johnny didn’t say anything.

When he was done, he turned around, and Johnny grabbed him by back of his thighs, scooping him onto the sink. Taeyong gasped, heat flared in his gut, and his face flooded with a new wave of hot blood. Taeyong couldn’t believe Johnny was manhandling him right now.

“Sorry! There’s more space for me to stand if you sit here. Now, I promise this won’t take very long. Just bear with me, okay.” He spread Taeyong’s legs apart, and stood in between them. The heat from Taeyong’s stomach bloomed through his thighs, and Taeyong felt weary. He wasn’t going to last through this.

The makeup session was torture. Johnny was at kissing distance, always. It didn’t help that he looked so hot when he was focused. He was working so sincerely, Taeyong felt hammered with emotion at every careful move he made. He applied toner and moisturizer to his face first, and that’s when Taeyong was beginning to relax, until he moved to continue applying product to his neck. Taeyong yelped, and pulled his turtleneck back up, telling Johnny he didn’t have to go that far. If Johnny saw his hickey, he might really die. Johnny shrugged, and didn’t ask why he didn’t want him to. It was easier when he applied makeup to his eyes, because then Taeyong didn’t have to look at him. But he could almost feel his breath against his skin. Johnny messed up a few times, and lightly wiped his mistakes away with damp paper towel. It felt so personal to be pampered privately like this. In real time, the makeover didn’t take that long, but Taeyong felt like they had been quietly face to face for hours. Taeyong selfishly wondered if Johnny would do this for him again. Johnny finally pulled back, and looked down on his work.

An overhead announcement went off, asking everyone to return to their seats and buckle up. They were going to be landing shortly.

“It’ll do. You look much better.” Johnny looked pleased with the results. “I don’t think anyone will be able to tell you cried today.”

Johnny was so sweet, but Taeyong knew he was going crash from this sugar high later.

Taeyong moved to hop off the sink, but then Johnny planted a hand on his thigh, locking him in place. His grip was authoritative, and Taeyong froze like a deer in headlights. It was unexpected, but really fucking sexy. Taeyong was sensitive, and Johnny’s hand burned through the fabric of his jeans.

_Was this a dream or a nightmare?_ Taeyong wondered.

“Taeyong,” Johnny’s voice dipped into an ugerentness Taeyong hadn’t heard before. “I need you to tell me what’s wrong.”

Taeyong’s stomach flipped, and he could feel the panic building again. He was hyper aware of how badly this could go. Johnny kept talking. “I care about you too much to watch you endure everything alone.” His words were genuine, and pricking at Taeyong where it ached. “I’m here for you,” he added, meaning it with every cell in his body. Taeyong couldn’t believe Johnny was pressing him for information at a time like this.

He heard another announcement chime overhead.

Taeyong searched Johnny’s eyes, desperately looking for mercy. He sucked at this. He disliked confronting his own feelings, and struggled sharing them with others. However, Johnny wasn’t moving. He hadn’t reacted to the second announcement, and it was clear he wasn’t going to let Taeyong go back until he explained what was wrong. This was difficult, because now, Taeyong wanted to tell him the truth.

The plane roared beneath their feet, and Johnny cupped his face and softly begged, “Please, Taeyong, tell me what’s hurting you. I want to understand.”

Taeyong realized how much he really loved Johnny.

“Johnny…” Taeyong hesitated, “it’s not really that bad,” he tried to say, even though his eyes were glassy with brand new, emotional tears he could barely keep at bay. He didn’t want to actually cry and ruin the blended eyeshadow Johnny had worked so hard on. Johnny was so close, and full of concern. For a second, it felt like Johnny might actually kiss him.

Then Taeyong said it.

“I’m in love with someone I can’t have.”

The plane tilted, and Taeyong yelped and he tumbled right into Johnny. All of their weight fell against the thin door, and they both rolled out of the bathroom in an awkward heap. A stewardess politely ordered them to go back to their seats immediately. But first, they had to walk past every member of NCT. Taeyong accidentally caught Ten’s proud smirk, Yuta’s bright smile, and a strange thumbs up from Doyoung. He didn’t want to know what they’d been imagining.

The plane landed without incident, and Johnny didn’t say anything. He didn’t ask any more questions, or pry any deeper. He laced his fingers with Taeyong’s, and Taeyong wordlessly let him. They silently held hands until the seatbelt light turned off.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To cope, he was wallowing in his problems, because tonight, he wasn’t going to solve them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [chapter summary ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DxtgUHWUwAAO2AC.jpg)

_“If you think about me before going to bed, I’ll appear in your dreams.”_

Taeyong pressed Johnny’s voice keyring again, and gave the dildo the first nudge inside. It stretched at his rim, the sting made his face scrunch, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. He shallowly pushed the toy further, experimenting with what he liked. He challenged himself by pressing it deeper, back out, and then a little deeper again. He hadn’t used a toy before, and he discovered he really liked it. With each return, he let out a new breathy sound, beginning to build a sweet momentum. He carefully slid it in all the way, and relished in how it felt to be totally filled from the inside. I didn’t remember it being so big, but his body bloomed to accommodate the toy. That’s when he hit the button again, and let Johnny’s sexy voice replay another time. He took the toy out completely, then plunged it back to the hilt. Taeyong moaned a quiet, strangled whine while he replayed his voice over and over again.

It was the end of their second day back in Seoul. No progress had been made with the love game. He’d done his best to avoid thinking about it all together. Taeyong hadn’t treated Johnny any differently, and neither Yuta nor Doyoung had brought it up again. He hadn’t seen Ten since they’d flown in, and he hadn’t any communication with him since. Taeyong knew Ten was too occupied with WayV to give time to anything else. No one in NCT had treated him differently either, so it seemed like everyone who knew about the dumb game was keeping the secret safe. Good.

Fortunately, Taeyong hadn’t had time to worry about it, because his schedule had been packed from breakfast to bedtime. This was nice, because it hadn’t given him opportunities for his mind to wander back into Ten’s intimidating challenge. Without anxiously dwelling on it, he felt better trying to forget. His mind was being fed everything else to think about. It was easier to forget all about the game, and focus on the tasks at hand. Besides, the past few days had been relatively fun. They’d spent the days bouncing around interviews, and then SM filled the rest of their hours with workouts and rehearsal. They had a big concert in a few days, so there was a lot of practice to get through. And today, he’d made dinner for everyone. The team had loved eating it as much as he loved making it for them. Cooking was one of his favorite ways to show everyone how much he cared. Overall, it had been the same, steady dose of work, and now, it was the end of a very long day.

It was past just midnight, and it was finally his first hour alone.

Honestly, all of that hard work felt like procrastination.

Now there was nothing between him and the complicated feelings he’d been avoiding for days. He allowed the small snags of anxiety that had been poking and prodding at him to crash on him like an avalanche.

Starting tomorrow morning, he knew he had five days left till Ten made a move on Johnny. Taeyong still didn’t have a plan. He wanted to find a way to get closer with Johnny, but he hadn’t been forced to confront the game again. He’d let his opportunities slip through his fingers, and he still hadn’t worked up the courage to try anything suggestive. He’d made the internal decision to try, he just hadn’t started. All he had to do was flirt, but each time, something had gotten in the way. He always put the members before himself, so he knew he hadn’t given his quest for Johnny the attention it needed. The guilt was a heavy burden, because the longer he waited, the more impossible it would be win him over.

To cope, he was wallowing in his problems, because tonight, he wasn’t going to solve them. It was late.

So here he was, fucking himself on Ten’s gift, while listening to Johnny’s voice keyring, tangled in Johnny’s sheets, sprawled out across Johnny’s bed, in the room they shared.

Johnny was recording one of his last radio shows with Jaehyun tonight, so he wasn’t going to be back for another hour or so. Taeyong had time to draw this out. He didn’t want Johnny to find out what he was doing, and the truth was, this wasn’t the first time he’d jerked off in Johnny’s bed.

It had been the easiest way, and the cruelest way to pretend.

His head was hot and swirling, his thoughts were slurring, and when the toy dragged inside, he imagined Johnny. He closed his eyes, and pretended Johnny had just thrown him on his bed, tossing him like he was nothing. He pictured Johnny pinning him down, gripping his wrists, and he visualized the how Johnny’s muscles would move under his skin as he locked him in place. For Johnny, trapping him would be too easy.

The dildo added a new element to his scenario. The physicality of it created new kind of torment he hadn’t had before. His fantasy sped up, and his breathing grew ragged as he played with it, rougher and harder. He saw Johnny shamelessly fucking him, just using Taeyong’s pretty body to chase his own pleasure. Taeyong knew Johnny wouldn’t use him like that, but god, a big part of Taeyong wished he would. Taeyong bit his lip, stroked his cock, and fucked himself faster on the toy. The aroma of Johnny’s sheets were hypnotizing, and the toy made this feel so realistic. Taeyong was perfectly overwhelmed. His felt weightless and very heavy at the same time.

His phone rang, and just like that, his heavenly escape was broken. The noise cut through the air, and his screen lit up with an unwelcome call from reality.

Taeyong froze in place, and took a second to wait. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe they would hang up, maybe they would leave him alone. The phone rang again. Someone was serious about getting a hold of him, but more importantly, someone needed to hear his voice. Taeyong was electrified with another zip of terror. It could be absolutely anyone. He had a wide circle of responsibility, so he couldn’t ignore any call. It was in his contract after all. Even thought it was bedtime, he knew he was never allowed to clock out. But talking professionally was the last thing he could string together right now.

The phone rang again, and Taeyong left the toy in his ass, and reached for his phone. He prayed it wasn’t management, but honestly, he didn’t want _anyone_ to hear him like this.

His screen read: **Jisung.**

Taeyong squinted in disbelief, and read it again. The phone rang another time,

_Jisung?_

Sometimes Jisung texted Taeyong, asking for advice, but he’d never called him before. Besides, Taeyong had no idea why Jisung would call him at this hour. That was definitely weird. Maybe there was an emergency at the dream dorm? _But why call him?_

Taeyong didn’t want to leave Jisung hanging, so he decided to pick up. Besides, if he didn’t respond to this, he risked someone marching in to look for him. He couldn’t remember if he’d locked the door or not. Taeyong could not afford to deal with being caught right now. It’d add too much stress. He’d never recover from the humiliation.

He cleared his throat and answered the call.

“Hello? Jisung?” Taeyong yawned in an attempt to cover up his textured voice. “Is something going on?”

The voice on the other end was definitely not Jisung’s.

“I’m stressed the hell out, and I want to fuck.”

It was Ten.

Of course, it was.

Only Ten could manage to catch him off guard like this.

Annoyance seeped through his bloodstream, and Taeyong rolled his eyes at Ten’s unnecessary taste for drama. _Jisung’s phone? Really?_ Rolling his eyes activated the pounding in this skull, and just made him feel a little dizzier. He was tired, and he just wanted to pathetically jerk off in peace. He couldn’t let Ten pick up on the state he was in. If he wasn’t careful, he knew he would let Ten come over and wreak him again.

“Why are you calling from _Jisung’s_ phone?” Taeyong barked back, trying to hide how breathless his voice was. “Fuck, is he there?” Taeyong was always paranoid.

“You blocked _me_ , bitch.” Ten’s amused laugh chimed like the echoes of a thousand fairies. “How else was I supposed to call you? It was the closest phone, and you know I still live in the dreamie dorm. It’s just me, so you can relax.” His voice stayed sugary with joy. He’d gotten the reaction he’d wanted from his simple prank.

“Hey, are you busy? Can I come over?” Ten asked persistently.

“Ten, stop,” He sucked in a lung full of air,  “this isn’t a good time, I’m...” Taeyong’s heavy eyelids sealed his sleepy eyes, but his fucked out voice was betraying him. “Busy…”

“Taeyong… are you…?” Ten’s voice wavered with another laugh.

Taeyong bit the inside of his cheek, and tried to exhale normally. He was conscious of how he sounded through the speaker, but covering it up was getting too difficult.

“Ten… I...”  Taeyong’s dick was still hard and straining, and his ass was still full with the toy. Ten was so hard to turn down. Taeyong knew what he was offering. All the physical parts of his body were begging him to say yes. The smell of Johnny’s sheets were still all around him, and it reminded him exactly how Ten would find him, sadly melting in Johnny’s bed. He couldn’t let that happen.

“Taeyong, I want you to top me.” Ten’s tone was insistent, urgent, and a little strained. His voice sounding a little feathery too. Taeyong swallowed, and his free hand drifted down his body, lightly dipping down his shirt, and over the planes of his torso. His horny dizziness wasn’t going away, and Ten was making his head swim.

“Look, you can’t- not right now-” His half-hearted words held no conviction. He knew his voice was giving him away, and he just sounded like he was begging.

That’s when Taeyong realized the toy was falling out. He didn’t want to dirty Johnny’s sheets, so he trailed his hand down to adjust it. He ghosted over his cock, and touched the flared base of the dildo. It had slipped out an inch or two, so Taeyong gently pushed it back in. It was too late before Taeyong realized how big of a mistake that was. The toy bumped his prostate, causing his breath to hitch loudly. It was too much, and he made an unavoidable, unmistakable, high-pitched moan.

“Taeyong… Baby…” Ten didn’t sound surprised.

Taeyong gave up pretending, because there was no way to hide what he was doing from Ten. Ten was too smart, and Taeyong hated acting. He gave in to the jolt of pleasure, and allowed himself to ride the toy again. He pushed and pulled with enthusiasm, and hissed when it hit home again and again. He sounded like a whore, but he knew Ten loved it.

That’s when the dorm door swung open.

Taeyong froze in place, fear washing through him like ice water. But it was Ten. Of course, it was Ten. He stood there, wearing a white t-shirt, black, ripped jeans, and a gentle, fond smile. His face was flushed, his hair was tousled, and Jisung’s bubblegum pink phone was at his ear. He looked so happy to crash Taeyong’s lonely evening.

Taeyong was embarrassed. He was spread across Johnny’s white sheets, naked from the waist down, with the his new dildo all the way inside. His face was pink, his eyes were droopy, and overall, he was a sweaty, wet, breathless mess. His dick was hard, and practically pleading for attention.

“Shut the door,” Taeyong whispered harshly, scrambling to sit up and capture what remaining dignity he had left. But Ten was on top of him before the door closed behind him with a slam.Taeyong felt it from the bed, and he was sure the whole building heard it through the walls. Ten straddled Taeyong’s torso, making his t-shirt tightly stretch across his chest, rubbing across his pebbled nipples.

“Oh my god,” Ten’s mouth hung open in sheer awe. There was no judgement across his face, he just seemed impressed. “The door wasn’t even locked, Taeyong.”

Taeyong groaned, and covered his face by rubbing his eyes, trying to hide how humiliating it was to be discovered masturbating like this.

Ten hummed, and through Taeyong’s shirt, he massaged his tender nipples with tiny circles. The extra stimulation felt extra intense, because Taeyong was on the edge of his orgasm, and Ten could tell. He glanced around the room, as if he was looking for someone.

“Where’s Johnny?” He asked.

“Not here,” Taeyong replied too quickly, stuffing down more embarrassment. ”I can’t believe you just walked in.”

“You can’t?” Ten gave a crafty smile, and pressed a thumb down on the hickey he’d gifted him a few days ago. Taeyong yelped, and Ten laughed. The mark didn’t seem to be healing at all, it still looked like a fresh bruise. Then he scooted down Taeyong’s thrumming body, and kissed the stripe of skin just beneath his shirt. Then he guided Taeyong’s bare legs apart. Without any hesitation, he gave the toy a twist and asked, “Were you really going to talk to Jisung like this?”

Taeyong swallowed, and chose not to reply. The pads of Ten’s fingers danced up Taeyong’s silky thighs, till they rested on the base of his cock. Taeyong inhaled sharply, and Ten watched his expression fall apart. He leaned down, and lapped up the big bead of precum crowning his cock. Taeyong flung a hand in Ten’s hair, and pulled, hard, feeling way too sensitive to be gentle. Ten’s smile grew warm and affectionate as Taeyong yanked on his scalp, and arched his back, moaning like a pillow princess.

Ten mouthed the tip of Taeyong’s cock, and he dotted it with wet kisses. Taeyong’s whole body squirmed underneath his touch, and something deep within his gut wound tighter and tighter. Ten worshipped his cock to the base, he nuzzled him with his nose, cooing and cuddling with Taeyong’s teased dick. At the same time, he got a grip on the base of the toy, and started nudging it back and forth. He caught Taeyong’s foggy eyes, and stuck out the tip of his tongue like a cat. “Feeling good?” He asked with glee.

Taeyong’s eyelids fluttered, and he nodded, fully submitting to Ten.

Ten made an O shape with his shiny lips, and went down on Taeyong. He was a master at sucking cock. Taeyong didn’t know where he’d gotten his experience from, but he didn’t care. Taeyong appreciated all of Ten’s gifts, but when it came to sex, this was what he loved the most. Ten’s mouth was mesmerising, burning hot and impossibly soft. He swirled his tongue around him, sucked in his cheeks, and applied the right amount of pressure everywhere.

Taeyong was really going to miss him.

Ten worked Taeyong with all of his passion and energy. He bobbed his head, and Taeyong was ready to lose it. Through his eyelashes, Taeyong marveled at how amazing, and shamelessly obscene, Ten was. Just like his dancing, everything he did was laced with effortless grace.

Taeyong’s stomach tightened, his abs flexed, and the words _I’m close_ were just on the tip of his lips. But then Ten popped off his dick, and wildly smiled. With all of this pearly teeth, he gleamed and asked something Taeyong would have never predicted.

“Were you this good for Johnny?”

Time stopped, and everything came to a halt.  

“What?” Taeyong forced his brain to begin working again.

“I bet you were,” Ten purred, “I’m sure he loved your mouth.”

Taeyong’s orgasm died, it sank into the past, and storm of anxiety and clueless confusion replaced it. Taeyong blinked away the rest of his lustful fog, pulled out the toy, and used his arms to sit up.

“What the hell you talking about?” Taeyong feebly pushed Ten off of him, and Ten respectfully sat up. Now it was Ten’s turn to be confused.

“You don’t have to play dumb with me, Taeyong. I remember what happened on the plane. I was there.”

Taeyong’s eyes grew wide, and his words ran out of his mouth. “Nothing happened on the plane.”

“But you blew him in the bathroom.” Ten pointed out, like it was a fact.

“Of course, I didn’t!” Taeyong smacked Ten’s shoulder. “Your texts were crazy, I obviously didn’t follow them. This is why I blocked you!”

“No, don’t lie to me, you definitely did.” Ten was being serious. “I saw you leave the bathroom with him. Your face was all rosy, your eyes were all wet and dewy, and Johnny looked satisfied. It was pretty clear. Look, I’m just happy for you, Taeyong.”

Taeyong felt on the verge of shaking. “No, I swear, Ten, I didn’t. I really didn’t. I wasn’t anywhere near his dick. He caught me crying and-”

As he adjusted himself in bed, his palm fell on the Johnny voice keyring. It had gotten lost in the sheets, but now, it’s audio rang loud and clear. It made Taeyong jump and stop explaining himself.

_“If you think about me before going to bed, I’ll appear in your dreams.”_

Ten’s jaw dropped, and he was the one looking at Taeyong dumbly.

“Wait…” The gears in Ten’s brain turned, and Taeyong could see him putting together the pieces of the puzzle. “Are you telling me, you _didn’t_ blow him on the plane, and now... you were... jerking off in his bed... to his keychain?”

Taeyong looked away, feeling hot with shame. He didn’t know what to say.

Ten scooted closer, still not believing this was true. “When you pick up the phone, I was certain Johnny was in the middle of messing you up. I thought he could hear everything.”

Taeyong whipped around, “And you came in anyway!?”

Ten laughed. “Ha, yeah, I’m not gonna lie, I wanted to see that. But back up, I have to get this straight. You _didn’t_ do anything to Johnny on the plane.”

Taeyong nodded. “I cried, and he did my makeup. That’s it.”

“Oh, Taeyong…” Ten’s lips were pressed tightly together, and suddenly he was looking everywhere else but at him. “You’re not going to like hearing this…”

Taeyong’s stomach flipped. He nervously swallowed, and asked, “Ten, what is it.”

Then Ten told him something he really shouldn’t have.

“Everyone in NCT thinks you blew Johnny on the airplane, expect Johnny.”  

Taeyong stopped breathing.

_This couldn’t be true._

“Taeyong... this is getting tragic.” Ten scratched his head.  “Even dreamies, the ones who had no idea we’ve been screwing for months, thought you sucked Johnny’s dick in the bathroom.”

“No.” Taeyong was horrified.

Ten watched Taeyong’s soul leave his body. He kept explaining. “I don’t know what to tell you, Taeyong. Your eyes were all glassy, and you guys were in there for so long. Both of you looked so embarrassed when you came out, you had us all convinced.”

Taeyong fell back on the bed, and ran a hand through his hair. This couldn’t get worse. It couldn’t.

“Fuck…” His mind was spinning through this new knowledge. He mentally jogged through the past two days. “You mean, everyone thought I… did that… and no one treated me differently… does that mean...” His voice trailed into the afterlife.

Ten sighed. “It means everyone loves you, no matter how slutty are. Taeyong, it’s really not a big deal.” Ten was speaking softly now, and trying to weave together some comfort. He knew how sensitive Taeyong was about his image. “You’re really hot, and it’s fine if people know you’re a little dirty. You’re human. Besides, have you seen how you act on stage? It’s fine. No one cares.”

Taeyong groaned. He cared a lot about this.

“Hey,” Ten curled up next to him on the bed, slotted his body along Taeyong’s. He wrapped an arm around his chest protectively. “Listen to me, it’s going to be okay.”

Taeyong said nothing, and Ten kissed his cheek, and cradled his face. “Baby, let’s salvage this.” He meant to soothe Taeyong in the way he knew best. “Forget about Johnny, and please let me ride you.”

  


\---

  


You would think, the bed frame thumping against the wall was loud enough to give a warning.

It wasn’t.

Time had gone by, but Taeyong was too fucked out to think about anything, anything besides how good Ten felt around his cock. Ten looked gorgeous, naked and bouncing on top of Taeyong, just like he’d wanted. He was slurring dirty things in Thai, and that’s how Taeyong could tell he was about ready to cum. Taeyong chased after his own orgasm by bucking into Ten a few times, off rhythm, but it didn’t matter. They were both finally going to get what they needed.

Taeyong watched Ten reach over, and pick up his own cell phone, not Jisung’s. He ground down on Taeyong, one final time, and that was all it took to send him over the edge. Then Ten hit record, just in time to catch Taeyong’s pretty, ethereal face as he came. It was a stunning sight to behold. He made the rare expression Ten treasured so much. He was grateful to have it archived. He stroked his cock twice, and came all over Taeyong’s chest, completing the perfect video.

This was going to help him get through the lonely nights in China.  

Taeyong was just coming down from his high, and Ten rocked through his final waves of pleasure. Taeyong’s hearing was gone, and Ten didn’t notice keys jingling at the door.

The light hit them first. The golden yellow light from the hallway poured over their glistening, sweaty skin.

He saw everything. He saw Ten, filming a limp, defenseless Taeyong, fucked out and covered in cum in his bed. Ten turned his head, still seated on Taeyong, and swore under his breath. Taeyong weakly lifted his heavy head, still not quite out of his orgasmic haze to get what was going on. His fluffy hair dusted over his fluttery eyes. His thick lips were slack, and the magically lethargic version of his handsome face made him look like an angel. He commanded an exclusive degree of beauty Johnny had never seen before.

It paralyzed his feet in their tracks.

But he didn’t linger. He couldn't.

It took a second to Johnny remember how to talk.

“Oh my god, shit, sorry!”

It was his voice that finally activated Taeyong’s adrenaline. The smooth, deep honey voice he loved so much shattered all the air in his lungs. The door shut as quickly as it had opened, and the moment was over, but the damage had been done.

Taeyong reeled. He frantically scrambled up, and screamed after him. “ _JOHNNY!_ ”

Ten pulled himself off Taeyong with a messy pop. They hadn’t used protection this time, and their combined fluids dripped off the curves of Taeyong’s body. Johnny’s bed sheets were beyond saving.

Taeyong was awake, pumped full of terrible borrowed energy. He wanted to die. He felt like he’d just been pushed off a building. His misfortune was multiplying and he didn’t know what he’d done to deserve it. This was going to be unsalvageable if he didn’t act right now. He swung his legs over the bed to get up, but Ten blocked him.

“Don’t move, you’re gross. Hold on just a second, let me clean you up.” Ten pulled on his clothes, and went to the side bathroom. He returned with a warm washcloth. Taeyong felt sick with anxiety, and Ten tried to soothe him by wiping down his hot skin. What had just happened was really hitting him now, and his stomach somersaulted.

Ten broke the air with a horrible reminder.

“The game is back on.” He spoke quietly. He finished wiping away the worst of the mess, but he spent an extra second lingering over the old hickey.

Taeyong wanted to throw up.

Ten kept talking. “I thought you two had already hooked up, so honestly, I’d dropped it, but you haven’t, so that means, you’ve got five days-“

Taeyong shook Ten off, cutting off his poison. He yanked himself off the bed, and shot him a dirty glance.

“Fuck you, Ten.”

Ten smirked to the floor. “You already did.”

His rage boiled over, and Taeyong smacked him with a pillow, _hard_. It sent Ten flying back into the bed with a loud thump. Taeyong glanced at the bedside table, and it read 1:15 AM. And obviously, they all had early schedules tomorrow. This situation actually couldn’t get worse. He grabbed sweatpants from his dresser, ripped hoodie from his closet, and found his slippers.

He had to go after Johnny.

“I’m so fucked.” Taeyong curled his fists, and kept the water in his eyes at bay. He fought every part of him that wanted to him give up, because there was too much at stake here. He couldn’t let this go. Taeyong stormed to the door, but his legs were unsure and shaky. There was no way this could go well. What could he say? There were no excuses.

Ten stripped Johnny’s bed calmly. “What you going to do now?” He asked curiously.

Taeyong stopped, and drummed up an ounce of courage.

“I would do anything for Johnny.”

Ten hummed, and folded up the ruined bed sheet. He was toothlessly smiling, like he thought this situation was funny. Taeyong was offended.

“Taeyong?”

Taeyong didn’t look at him.

Ten found Johnny’s extra sheets on a tall, closet shelf. He jumped up, and spoke as he pulled them down. “I’ll sort things out here. It’ll be like nothing ever happened. Go after him, even it feels like the world is ending.” He fluffed out the fresh sheet. “Hey Taeyong, I need you to listen to me.”

Taeyong turned around, unsure how his advice could make this any easier.

“I’m going to let you in on a secret.”

Taeyong blinked.

_How could Ten’s smile be so confident?_

 

“You have nothing to worry about.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the comments and support! this fic is really fun to write, and so happy you guys like it as much as I do


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nevertheless, it was time for Taeyong to look Johnny in the eye, even if it was the hardest thing he’d ever been forced to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \+ I combed out the typos from the past few chapters;;; thank you for enjoying this regardless  
> \+ This fic is loosely canon compliant, but also not at all. It borrows from current events, but doesn’t line up accurately. So enjoy the fictitious parallel universe.  
> \+ This took a long time because it's been the hardest chapter to write yet. (so many revisions!!) but now it’s… here. >;3c  
> +[here is the visual embodiment of taeyong rn](https://twitter.com/41Strange/status/1091511486319493120)
> 
> \+ and introducing... Jaehyun

Taeyong couldn’t find Johnny.

The halls loomed with eerie, inky darkness, because no none was out of their rooms at this hour. It felt like all light had been sucked out of the building. The unsettling atmosphere fed Taeyong’s tension. He noiselessly shuffled around the dorm, and ignored how wobbly his legs still felt. He checked every room, looking for Johnny around each corner. He ducked into the kitchen, the common areas, and all the shadowy hallways in between. Taeyong glanced out the windows, and he felt stupid for searching the street. Johnny wasn’t anywhere easy.

He must have retreated into someone’s room, but Taeyong was afraid to guess which one. He was in a rush, but he wasn’t going to knock on doors, and wake people up for reasons he couldn’t give. He didn’t want this drama to escalate any further than it had to. He scanned the floors, and realized there was only one room with light underneath the door. It was Jaehyun and Donghyuck’s.

Johnny had to be there.

Taeyong’s body felt like it was moving mechanically, making decisions before his mind could agree. His hand hovered over Jaehyun and Donghyuck’s door, but he just couldn’t get it to land. He wasn’t ready to face Johnny, but honestly, he’d never be, not after what had happened. He’d never been caught like that before. Taeyong scrolled through a thousand weak excuses he could give, but none of them made this any less mortifying. But this was his reality now. Taeyong wasn’t going to dissolve out of existence, and neither was Johnny. He couldn’t afford to have Johnny misunderstand him more than he did already.

But did that mean… it was time to confess?

Taeyong shivered with cold fear. That wasn’t an option tonight. He still wanted to to confess to Johnny somehow, but this was far from how he’d wanted to do it. Having his heartfelt confession tied to the most humiliating night of his life was not something Taeyong was gonna let happen. He had to communicate with Johnny, without lying, and without telling him the truth either. He internally imagined Ten’s voice echoing off the walls of his hopeless goal. _“Good luck with that, Taeyong.”_

Nevertheless, it was time for Taeyong to look Johnny in the eye, even if it was the hardest thing he’d ever been forced to do.

Finally, he knocked, lightly, but he still did it. Once the sound was out there, there was no taking it back. A sluggish Jaehyun answered the door a beat later. His cheeks were naturally rosy, and his eyes looked swollen and tired. His hair was a bit out of sorts;

Taeyong could see how his hairspray had weakened over the course of the day. Jaehyun was still fully dressed, wearing the same outfit he’d worn to the radio show. Behind him, the ceiling light was on. Donghyuck was in bed, with airpods in, and a silky, lilac mask over his eyes. He appeared to be sound asleep. Taeyong couldn’t tell if he was actually sleeping or just faking it. With Donghyuck, it could be either way. Taeyong was ready to go inside, but Jaehyun stepped forward, and wordlessly came into the hallway. He softly shut the door behind him.

Taeyong opened his mouth, but Jaehyun spoke first.

“I think Johnny’s drunk.” Jaehyun announced, one octave above a whisper.

Taeyong’s racing thoughts dissolved, and his mouth grew dry.

“What?”

“Yeah, I know.” Jaehyun agreed.

“But Johnny…” Taeyong was still flooded with disbelief.“...doesn’t get like that.”

Jaehyun scratched the back of his neck. “You’re right, not usually. Johnny’s a big guy, so I didn’t think what he had would affect him. I mean, the end of the radio show has been bittersweet for him, you know how much he loves it. He’s been emotional about it lately.” Jaehyun yawned, remembering tender moments between them Taeyong hadn’t seen. “Doyoung brought us cake, and the crew gave us some wine after tonight’s recording. Johnny drank everything they poured him.”

_Wait._

_Shit._

Jaehyun continued, “I knew he was a little buzzed, I mean, so am I, but he didn’t show it. I didn’t think Johnny was actually drunk until he just busted in, and ducked in our bathroom. I don’t think he threw up, but maybe? Honestly, I’m not sure what he’s doing in there.”

Taeyong’s big eyes got painfully wide.

“W-What did you say?” Taeyong stuttered as he tried to communicate like a human being.

Jaehyun rubbed his eyes. “It’s strange, he didn’t want me to come in. I’m not sure if he’s sick or sad or what. I don’t like seeing him like this, but I’m sure he’ll be okay. Why he didn’t just use your bathroom? Were you in there?”

_Johnny…_

Taeyong’s heart fell through the floor. A new feeling bubbled up, and it was genuine concern. No matter the humiliating drama between then, Taeyong needed to make sure Johnny was okay. He loved Johnny more than anything, and it sounded like he really needed someone. But Taeyong couldn’t help but wonder.

_Had he... made Johnny feel physically revolted? To top it all off, was Johnny actually... drunk right now?_

Taeyong couldn’t have anticipated this. His insides squirmed, and he was starting to feel nauseous just thinking about it. His worries were banging so loudly, they were impossible to ignore. For some reason, his world was falling apart one brick at a time, and Taeyong did his best not to feel powerless against it. He didn’t know how the hell he was going to pick up the pieces, but he had to.

“Jaehyun, let me in,” Taeyong’s tone curled with a stab of urgency. “I need to see him.”  

Jaehyun scratched the back of his neck nonchalantly. “Yeah, of course, I’m thankful you came to check on him. Can you put Johnny to bed for me?”

Taeyong swallowed. As his ripples of anxiety resurfaced, he made a conscious effort to calm them. He nodded stiffly, “Yeah, I can do that.”  

Jaehyun placed his hand on the doorknob. “Okay, just don’t wake up Donghyuck. I’m sure you remember, but he’ll get whiny, and it’s hard to get him back to sleep.”

Before they stepped inside, Taeyong’s new blaze of courage pushed him to ask something he would have never asked otherwise.

“Jaehyun…” Taeyong paused.

“What?”

“Do you think I blew Johnny on the plane?”

Jaehyun walked inside, and calmly spoke over his shoulder. “You should try to stop worrying about dumb shit, Taeyong. Johnny told me you didn’t.”

“Oh.” Taeyong replied in one, quiet syllable.

Then they were inside the dorm. Jaehyun’s room was messier than his own, and there was no sign of Johnny in the bedroom. The overhead light was still on, warm and yellow. Donghyuck was still curled up in his bed like a baby chipmunk, with his chest was slowly rising and falling. Taeyong figured he was really sleeping. They slinked by, and arrived before the bathroom without making a sound. The door was slightly ajar, and the shadow behind it made Taeyong’s chest grow tight. His nerves halted him in his tracks, and only one thought ran through his brain.

_What could he say first?_

Jaehyun noticed his hesitation, and didn’t bother trying to understand it. He shuffled in front, and eased the door open. The door creaked louder than Jaehyun’s voice.

“Hey Johnny, Taeyong’s here. He’s going to take you back to your room.”

The proud prince Taeyong knew, NCT’s strongest pillar who usually gleamed with confidence, wasn’t here.

Johnny was sitting on the floor, with his body slumped against the wall, and his head hung low. His lengthy limbs went from wall to wall in the tiny space. His bangs swung before his eyes, dripping heavily with water. His cheeks glinted with fresh droplets, and Taeyong watched one slide off his face and splash on the white tile below. The ground around the sink was dotted with similar pools. Taeyong thought he looked provocative, like he just stepped out of a Taemin video. A shiver run down his spine, and once again, Johnny made the butterflies in his stomach flutter. Jaehyun stepped aside, and coolly leaned against the doorframe. Then Taeyong went forward, and took one step across the threshold.

Johnny caught a glimpse of Taeyong’s familiar slippers, and his slouched form clambered awake. He wiped off his wet face with his sleeve, and looked up. Now Taeyong could see his face. Johnny’s skin was flushed, his eyes were puffier than normal, and he was completely startled. He blinked at Taeyong like he couldn’t believe he was real. Despite looking a bit dazed, his amber eyes still glinted beautifully in the light.

He choked on the breath in his throat. “Taeyong?” His voice sounded mangled with surprise

“Johnny...” Taeyong’s voice quivered, and his legs felt weak again. Johnny was so goddamn beautiful. He pulled down the nearest towel, and with graceful speed, he was kneeling down at Johnny’s side. His hands dabbled the towel around his wet bangs, and he searched his face, desperately trying to read him. Johnny just stared, feeling cornered by Taeyong’s huge, worried eyes.

Taeyong thickly swallowed, had realized what he needed to say first. It didn’t matter if Jaehyun was watching, Johnny needed to know.

“On the plane, when you caught me crying, it wasn’t about Ten.” The words tumbled out on their own.

_This was really happening._

“Ten isn’t the person I can’t have.” Taeyong shut his mouth, and felt his confession echoed off the bathroom tiles. The next second felt like the longest second of Taeyong’s life.

“What…?” Johnny squinted, and his deep voice revealed how confused he was.

The fermented smell of red wine rolled off of Johnny’s breath. It was faint, but something about it made Taeyong’s blood pump faster. Taeyong couldn’t help but glance down at Johnny’s lips, and he noticed they were kinda stained. He probably didn’t even know they were like that. Johnny caught his wandering eyes, and Taeyong refocused.

Johnny spoke first. “You mean, you guys aren't…” He took a second to find the word he was looking for. “You’re... not dating?” Johnny’s face flickered with uncertainty.

“It’s complicated.” Taeyong replied abruptly, his gaze falling to the floor. He pressed his lips tightly together, and decided to let this happen.

Even though Taeyong’s resolve was strong, a wave of lightheadedness still hit him. This wasn’t easy. He was crouched on the floor, less than an arm’s distance from Johnny, and stare away from Jaehyun. The topic was about his affair with Ten, and Taeyong had never felt more awkward. This was the last place he’d thought he’d be tonight. Taeyong scraped together another ounce of courage, and focused on lasting through this conversation. The cold truth remained: he was never going to get together with Johnny if he didn’t understand what was going on between him and Ten.

Taeyong sucked in a big breath of air. “He’s not my boyfriend.” He kept his eyes glued to the floor. “Ten’s pretty clear about not using labels.”

Johnny deserved to know, and he trusted Jaehyun to keep this confidential.

“Taeyong…” He wasn’t looking, but he could feel Johnny’s tender, understanding gaze.

There was something magical about Johnny’s ability to soothe others. He didn’t have to do anything. His presence alone was enough to start untangling Taeyong’s anxiety.

“People are complicated.” Johnny offered. His eyes wandered all over Taeyong, studying him, and searching for the complex emotions Taeyong was trying to keep hidden.

Jaehyun looked away, and stayed respectfully quiet.

Taeyong bit his lip. “It’s okay, really. What Ten and I have is mutual.” His eyes flicked back up to Johnny’s face. “What we have is… it's nothing more than… “ Taeyong’s voice wavered again, because he was getting shy. “It’s just...”

Johnny actually finished the sentence for him.

“It’s just for sex?” Johnny guessed, his tone remaining as cool as ever, like he was talking about nothing more than choreography.

Taeyong's face burned, and he felt his last pebble of confidence drop into oblivion. His stomach twisted painfully, and his throat wanted to close up and never speak again. Taeyong looked away as he remembered how Johnny’s tall silhouette looked standing in their bedroom doorway. Every part of him was on the verge of creeping into another bout of horrible, paralyzing panic.

Johnny picked up on his discomfort, and cracked a painless smile. He extended his arm, and rested the back of his hand against one of Taeyong’s cheeks. His touch felt cool and compassionate against his searing skin. Taeyong’s feelings were melting like milk chocolate under the sun.

“It’s really okay.” Johnny assured him. “You can stop feeling embarrassed.”

Taeyong’s heart swelled, because this was Johnny’s special talent, and he didn’t deserve him.

_How could Johnny be so kind?_

“We’ve had this kind of relationship for a long time.” Taeyong blurted out. He talked too quickly, but tilted his head into Johnny’s hand. He let his apologetic confessions drop, one by one. “I’m so sorry you had to find out this way. I’m sorry we used your bed, and I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner. Please understand, we didn’t tell anyone. It’s so risky for Ten and I to be together.”

“It’s okay,” Johnny was still smiling, his face heavy with empathic affection. He lifted his hand, and Taeyong exhaled, feeling high off of Johnny’s goodwill. His face was still stuck in that dumb, dopey smile, but Taeyong couldn’t help but try to blame it on the wine.

“You don’t have to be so nervous about it. I get how personal it is, but I’m happy you have something like that. You deserve it.” Johnny’s hand hovered in the air, like he was resisting the urge to trace Taeyong’s jawline. His amber eyes danced like dripping honey. “You hardly give yourself time to relax, and you know how concerned I get about that.”

The warm moment broke when Johnny innocently pulled down the collar of Taeyong’s hoodie. Johnny's curiosity revealed the incriminating bruise at the base of his neck. Dread rang through Taeyong’s system like an alarm.

“Wow, Taeyong.” His eyes lazily wandered over his abused skin. “Is this apart of the risk too?”

Taeyong placed his hand over the mark, internally cursed Ten, and regretted not wearing something else. He was frozen, like a small animal about to be hit by a car.

Johnny’s loose lips said something Taeyong would never forget.

“It looks good on you.”

Taeyong short circuited, and then he shifted gears.

"Johnny, there is nothing remotely good about this." Taeyong snapped, "I hate Ten for marking me like this. It was totally stupid." 

Johnny’s lips turned up, and his rosy cheeks lifted as he let out a small, tipsy fit of laughter. “Sorry, was that too horny of me?” Johnny apologized, but with another careless, dumb laugh, he added, “It’s just, I never thought I would ever see you with a hickey. I mean, you’re Lee Taeyong. I feel honored.”

Taeyong didn’t know if this was because Johnny was a little drunk, American, or what, but if Johnny was going to joke like this, Taeyong was going to shatter. He locked up his fragile emotions, and transformed into protective leader mode. “Are you feeling okay?” Taeyong asked loudly, trying to tap back into Johnny’s sanity. He totally forget they were supposed to be whispering. Taeyong rushed along, and put a hand over Johnny’s forehead. “Do you need water? Are you thirsty?”

“You could say I’m a little thirsty.” With a lot of humor, Johnny smirked, ensnaring Taeyong’s eyes with his own, and winked like the flirtatious, slightly intoxicated idol he was. Taeyong could tell he was just joking to lighten the mood, because this was worse than the flirting he pulled on game shows.

The line was absolutely terrible, but it still shut him right up.

And that’s when Jaehyun decided he couldn’t let this go on any longer. Maybe it was the elevated alcohol circulating his system, maybe it was the suffocating pity he felt from watching from Johnny and Taeyong play out a scene more dramatic than Shakespeare, but Jaehyun cut the moment with a question that was really, none of his business.

“Who were you crying about on the plane, Taeyong?”

Time stopped.

Taeyong turned just to gape at Jaehyun, then his body paralyzed.

That was not funny.

He’d had already thought it wasn’t possible for this night to get worse.

Taeyong didn’t notice his hands begin to shake.

Johnny shifted in the corner of his vision, and Taeyong felt an enormous hand move to cradle the back of his head. Johnny’s heavy fingers carded through Taeyong’s bleached hair, and he without asking permission, he pulled him into his chest. Taeyong’s skin crawled, but he let him. Taeyong was too freaked out and shaken to protest. Johnny lifted him into his lap, and rested his head on his chest.

“It’s okay, Taeyong.” Johnny’s solid voice was soothing, and dreamy, like a prayer. His words melted in Taeyong’s ears. “You don’t have to answer that.”

It didn’t matter if Johnny was drunk or not, honestly, Taeyong couldn’t tell anymore. He was still the sweetest, most considerate person Taeyong had ever met. His embrace felt safe, like a much needed sanctuary. Taeyong felt like he’d been given permission to let his worries go. He exhaled, and tried let his stress slowly fizzle away. Johnny’s patient words were cool like a salve on a wound which had been burning for a long, long time.

Taeyong leaned all his weight into Johnny, because finally, his fatigue had caught up with him. He admitted he was tired. They were awake at an ungodly hour, and a lot had happened to Taeyong during these past few days. He let his head nuzzle against Johnny’s crisp, designer shirt, and his eyelashes fluttered against the fine material. He could hear the rhythmic sound of Johnny’s heart beat beneath his skin. It was nice. This time, Johnny’s alluring scent actually gave him a spoonful of peace. He breathed it in, and Johnny continued stroking his pretty hair.

“It’s okay, Taeyong.” He repeated, like it was his favorite mantra in the world.

Taeyong’s heart skipped a beat, because he still didn’t understand how Johnny felt about him.

Johnny must have noticed something, because Taeyong was being lifted up. Johnny scooped an arm under Taeyong’s legs, and another under his back, so he was carrying him like a bride.  Jaehyun moved out of the way, and Donghyuck was standing behind him. Johnny carried him effortlessly, and Taeyong couldn’t help feeling terribly flustered.

Jaehyun asked, “Should you be doing that, Johnny? We don’t want you to drop Taeyong.”

Johnny turned his head, and curtly replied. “I’m barely drunk, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun opened the door for them like a gentleman, and they left. Before the door shut behind them, Taeyong caught Donghyuck’s shrill voice.

“What the hell just happened?”

“Nothing,” Jaehyun assured him. “Nothing happened at all.”

 

Johnny set him down when they got to the bedroom. Taeyong was ready for bed, so he shuffled off his slippers, and decided to not to change. He was rightfully exhausted. Before he went to went to bed, he turned to Johnny.

“Thank you for being so cool after, you know, everything.” Taeyong swallowed. “I appreciate what you did back there. I’m still really sorry about getting you involved in all this. I don't want you to worry about me. I'll be fine tomorrow.”

Johnny patted him on the shoulder. “Yeah, don’t mention it. We’re good.”

Taeyong was confident he would never mention this to anyone. Ever.

He went straight to bed, and turned over to face the wall. He knew Johnny slept in nothing but his underwear, and he wasn't going to watch Johnny strip tonight.

 

 

Johnny unceremoniously got ready for bed. After he’d finished a sped up version of his routine, he pulled back his blanket, and uncovered a pile of magnum condoms. He smacked a hand over his mouth so Taeyong wouldn’t hear him chuckle.  

_What this a prank?_

They were his size, not Ten’s.

He scooped them up, and opened his bedside drawer only to discover it there were more, along with a new bottle of lube. Johnny squinted, and entertained the idea that maybe he was hallucinating. This gift didn’t make any sense to him. If there was humor in the joke, he didn’t understand it. Johnny didn’t know what he was going to do with all these. It didn't matter if he wanted them or not, because he wasn’t getting laid any time soon. They weren’t allowed to, after all. He couldn’t see himself using them before they expired anyway.

Distantly, he heard the kitten-like sounds of Taeyong breathing in his sleep. 

Good. 

He quietly crawled in bed, and plugged in his cell phone to charge. He flicked on his phone, and found a new message from Ten. He hadn’t bothered writing an apology, or asking about how Taeyong was doing. When Johnny opened it, it was far from what he’d expected.

With no preamble, Ten had sent him a challenge.

 

**From: Ten [1:30 AM]**

 

if you can get taeyong to kiss you in 24 hrs i’ll give you something priceless

 

 

**To: Ten [1:41 AM]**

 

what

ten?

what the hell

 

 

**From: Ten [1:42 AM]**

 

i’ll send you a copy of that video

 

 

**To: Ten [1:42 AM]**

 

?????

what video

 

 

**From: Ten [1:42 AM]**

 

don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about

i'm serious

 

****View Attachment From: TEN [1:43 AM]** **

 

Ten sent a cropped, blurry screenshot of Taeyong from the mouth down. His head was thrown back, and his pretty, cum splattered body was sprawled out across the same bed Johnny was laying in. 

 

Then Johnny understood.

 

_Oh._

 

He had a hard time sleeping that night. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone for all the comments and support!!! I never expected anyone to care about this crazy story, so i'm extra grateful. 
> 
> taeyong still has five days, but the boys are far from the end of their torment


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten knew he’d fucked up when he saw Johnny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it’s been a month, but we are back with more steaming hot drama. i don't know if you guys will be able to handle this one

Taeyong was dishing up a traditional korean breakfast for Yuta and Doyoung. He had individual bowls of rice, spicy stewed fish, cold cucumber soup, seasoned kelp, and radish strip kimchi all laid out. Yuta dug right in, and Doyoung quietly sipped his steaming mug of black tea as Taeyong served their meal. Taeyong’s pink hair was sloppily pinned back with a handful of bobby pins, and he wore cute kitchen apron over his clothes.

As soon as Taeyong’s alarm had gone off this morning, he’d texted them before getting out of bed. He’d summoned Doyoung and Yuta to an emergency meeting in the dorm kitchen. After last night, he really needed some emotional support. He figured breakfast would be the best time to sort things out before the day began. Taeyong still felt like a huge mess. Besides, it felt good to cook. It was his least self-destructive way to he dealt with stress.

It was a rather public place for a private discussion, but Taeyong knew no one else was going to wake up this early to make their own breakfast. In a handful of hours, they had a dress rehearsal for the their first concert. No one else seem to be up yet, so for now, it was a safe space to meet.

Once everything was finally ready, Taeyong hung up his apron, and joined his friends at the kitchen counter.

“No handmade breakfast for _Johnny?_ ” Yuta glanced up with a raised eyebrow and a teasing smirk.

Yuta was quick to get to the point.

“This isn’t for him.” Taeyong didn’t look at Yuta as he picked up his chopstick, and sat down beside him. “Besides, Johnny said he had something to take care of.”

Doyoung spoke up. “What? Johnny is already up? Where did he go? He better come back, because we have plans to go to Costco together.”

“I have no idea what he’s doing.” Taeyong replied flatly.

He was telling the truth. Taeyong had watched Johnny pick out the tightest pair of pants he owned, and leave. He said he had something to do, but he didn’t specify where he was going. Honestly, Taeyong hadn’t cared; he’d been grateful for the space. It gave him time to think.

They spent the first few minutes eating in silence, because the food was good, and Taeyong wasn’t ready to talk yet. An unwelcome prickle of energy was curling in his gut, and it made Taeyong nauseously anxious. Now that it was time to begin, he suddenly regretted setting up this meeting in the first place.

Doyoung broke the silence with gratitude. “Thanks for making all of this Taeyong, this is really nice. But if you don’t mind me asking, what was all this for?”

Yuta side eyed Doyoung. “I think there’s trouble in paradise.”

Taeyong tightened his lips, and the words he wanted to say stayed trapped in his mouth.

_There is no paradise, Yuta, there never was._

Doyoung tried asking again. “Is that true? Is there something wrong, Taeyong?” He studied Taeyong’s face, searching for what Taeyong was too nervous to confess.

Taeyong bit his lip, and darted his eyes away from his friends. He suddenly remembered that these two had no idea what the past few days had actually been like for him.

“Johnny and I aren’t any closer than we were before,” Taeyong firmly stated.

Yuta squinted his mischievous eyes and smirked. “You don’t have to… lie to us… Taeyong...” His devilish smile grew wider and wider as he lingered on the sounds of every word.

Yuta still didn’t believe him at all, and it made Taeyong cringe.

Doyoung set down his heavy mug with a loud thud, and spoke directly with a little too much confidence. “On the airplane… we know what you did, and it’s okay.”

Yuta obnoxiously followed up with a finger heart, and added, “We love and support you!”  

Taeyong felt all the muscles in his body tense up. After a fast glance around the empty kitchen, and with the bitter taste of frustration in his mouth, he gritted his teeth and harshly whispered the truth.

“I _didn’t_ blow Johnny on the plane.”

Yuta’s wide smile vanished, and Doyoung blinked like an unmoving rabbit. Bright red blush spread across Doyoung’s face he felt more and more embarrassed for making assumptions. Taeyong could see guilt washing through Doyoung, but Yuta just threw his head back and cackled. He kept laughing and laughing like an idiot. This was shocking news for both of them.

Taeyong pushed through the humiliation. “Look, it’s fine, it doesn’t matter what you believed. I _need_ both of you to understand what’s actually happening with Johnny, because… well...” Taeyong swallowed nervously. “...It’s a lot worse than you could imagine.”

Yuta’s eyes refocused, and Doyoung leaned in. Taeyong had their undivided attention, and now he felt like he was under a little spotlight. Taeyong tangled his hands in his hair, and kept his eyes were glued to the countertop.

Then he let it all out. Once he got started, he couldn’t stop. He told them everything. He explained what actually happened on the airplane, and what he’d said to Johnny through pathetic tears. He’d told him he was in love with someone he couldn’t have, and then Taeyong explained how big of a mistake that was.

It was so tough to explain about how he’d been humiliated, emotionally pushed to his limit, and how it’d all been for nothing.

As Taeyong tried to talk, but he stumbled through his words. He started and stopped his sentences, and Yuta and Doyoung were patient with him. When Taeyong finally got to last night’s events, he was breathing through his hands with his head hung low.

It’d been the worst night of his life, and pain was still so fresh. He told them how Ten had found him, and then how Johnny had actually walked in on him and Ten together. He explained how it made him feel, and everything that happened next.  

Taeyong was a shaky mess with glassy eyes by the time he’d finished his describing his situation. Yuta and Doyoung looked at each other when Taeyong finally mentioned that Ten wasn’t dropping the game.

“I’ve been given all these chances to confess to Johnny, but I’ve failed, every time.” Taeyong sighed, and took another bite of his food. It didn’t taste as good as it had before.

“I don’t have enough time, and I just...” His voice dissolved in his throat. He sucked in a deep breath, and exhaled the last sentence. “I just can’t do it.” Taeyong stretched his arm out on the counter, and rested his head.

Doyoung spoke up. “Then just stop Taeyong, this isn’t healthy.”

He closed his eyes. “I can’t stop. Ten is going to expect more from me. If I don’t play his game, if I don’t try to get closer to Johnny, he wins.”

Doyoung frowned. “Do you think Ten would really try to hook with Johnny?”

Taeyong snapped his eyes back open. “Yes. Absolutely.”

Doyoung still wasn’t convinced. “But they’re such close friends.”

Yuta giggled. “Everyone has their own definitions of friendship, Doyoung. I think he would go for it.”

Taeyong shut his eyes again, and groaned. “I can’t convince him to drop it. I know he won’t.”

Doyoung reached out, and touched Taeyong’s wrist. “Taeyong… this isn’t a game. You’re dealing with real relationships and your real feelings. Please, be kinder to yourself.”

Taeyong peeked open his eyelids, and gave Doyoung the smallest smile, because that was nice to hear.

“Ten’s challenge was never fair to begin with,” Yuta added.

“I just don’t know what I’m going to do now.” Taeyong heaved himself up, and ran a hand through his fluffy, pink hair. “I’m going to pray I can look Johnny in the eyes again.”

Then Yuta said something that surprised them all.

“I know this is hard, but I don’t think you should give up yet.”

“What?” Doyoung asked skeptically. Taeyong stared at Yuta as if he hadn’t heard everything he’d just shared with them.

“I think your solution is simple.” Yuta put a hand on Taeyong’s shoulder. “It comes down to one thing.”

“What?” Taeyong asked weakly.

“All that matters, is knowing what you really want, and going after it.”

Taeyong blinked, and Yuta continued, staying warm but serious. “Ask yourself what _you_ want, and go get it. Don’t forget Taeyong, you have control over your own life. Stop acting so helpless, and figure it out.”

Yuta smiled encouragingly, but the advice was still tough to take. Doyoung nodded next to him. Taeyong felt a little better, because Yuta’s reasoning did make sense. It gave him a small push.

Yuta raised his eyebrows, and spoke with ease. “You are free to give up, but I don’t think you should quit until you find out how Johnny feels. That’s only fair, right?” Yuta’s eyes danced with hope, and his dumb smile was genuine. It touched Taeyong’s heart. “I think you still have a chance,”

Taeyong’s big, scared eyes softened into something optimistic. “Thank you, Yuta.”

Taeyong just had to figure out what he wanted.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Ten knew he’d fucked up when he saw Johnny.

Ten was waiting with in the dorm lobby for WayV’s transportation to arrive. He was standing, and Xiaojun, Hendrey, Winwin, and Lucas were all sharing the lobby’s long couch. Kun was pacing nearby, yelling at Yangyang through his phone, encouraging him to get his ass downstairs. They had a critical photoshoot today, and their van was supposed to arrive any minute.

That’s when Ten glanced up from his phone, and made eye contact with Johnny.

It only took a few long legged strides for Johnny to cross the room. All four pairs of eyes looked up from the couch and watched him step into Ten’s personal space. Johnny didn’t bother greeting the other members, because it was clear he only had business with Ten.

By swapping out his typical, goofy smile with the serious expression he wore now, NCT’s gentle giant radiated intimidation. Ten couldn’t tell if Johnny was trying to seem that way or not, but regardless, Ten was caught off guard. He hadn’t expected to actually interact with Johnny today. It was still early in the morning, and he wasn’t scheduled to come back to the dorms till sunset.

Just like that, he blinked away his sleepiness with surprise, and straightened out his shoulders. Apparently, now was time to get confronted, and Ten was delighted.

The boys on the couch watched the following scene unfold like a play.

Ten tilted up his chin to meet Johnny’s stone cold gaze with a sunny smile. “Ah, good morning, Johnny.”

“Hi, Ten.” His voice was deep and stern. Something about it made Ten’s skin prickle.

“I suppose you’re not here just to see us off. What’s up?”

There was a weighty pause between them.

“We need to... talk.”

“About what?”

“Last night.”

“Oh yeah?” The corners of Ten lips curled up.

“Yeah.”

“What about it?” Ten chirped back.

“Uh…”

Johnny’s eyes flashed to the boys on the couch and then back at Ten. Ten didn’t flinch.

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” He challenged.

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but I just want to understand it.” Johnny’s voice stayed level, and his gaze didn’t waver.

Ten hummed and nodded.

His eyes didn’t leave Johnny’s face. He was daring him to continue having this conversation publicly.

Without hesitating, Johnny silently accepted. His tone didn’t lighten up, in fact, it just grew colder. “You owe me an explanation, and you owe Taeyong an apology.”

His words were blunt, but his voice was still cool and calm. Ten felt like he’d been dipped in ice water.

“Last night, I didn’t…” Johnny’s ears were turning a little pink. “...understand what you were trying to do.”

Ten frowned. He crossed his arms and shifting his weight to one hip. “You didn’t? Really?”

“Yeah, and I still don’t.”

“Tell me you’re joking.”

“I’m really not.”

Ten blinked, then he pleaded, “Johnny,  _please_ tell me you’re joking.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

He didn’t. Ten knew it, and instead of being reasonable, but decided to keep toying with Johnny, despite everything. Ten was rolling dice with Johnny’s patience. Johnny was one of the chillest people he’d ever met, and seeing him so serious about this was giving Ten a high.

Johnny was just being protective, and honestly, it was hot.

Ten licked his lips.

“Please, tell me _you’re_ joking!” Johnny was actually dancing on the edge of anger, and none of the other members had seen him like this before. “What you left me last night was crazy and confusing, and what you were implying was way worse. You seriously shouldn’t mess with people like that.” Johnny’s eyebrows were scrunched together, but Ten was into his deadly tone.

Ten cracked another dazzling smile. “Oh, I wasn’t messing with you.”  

Then Ten closed the space between them, so they were toe to toe with each other. He looked up, craning his head all the way back so he could trap Johnny’s eyes with his own.

“I told you I was serious in those texts.” His eyes sparkled, and he clearly enjoyed testing Johnny’s temper. “What’s so hard to understand?” Ten drawled out each word. “I wouldn’t lie about a thing like that.”

Ten felt everyone’s eyes burning on them, but he knew they had no clue what he was talking about. It didn't matter, because they were never going to find out.

“What are you…?” Johnny’s voice dropped off as Ten dragged his fingers up the sleeves of his sweater, till his hands were draped around Johnny’s neck. He pressed himself against Johnny’s chest, and brought their faces closer.

In a soft, but performative voice, he said, “I thought I was pretty clear with what I wanted.”

Johnny looked flustered, embarrassed, and paralyzed in place. Ten lifted himself up on his toes, and at a volume only Johnny could hear, he whispered in his ear: “Going from friends to lovers is simple. One person just has to take a step closer.”

Ten pulled back, and flattened his feet on the floor. He was happy to encourage him, but then Ten’s heart sank when he saw Johnny’s expression. He still looked blanker than a sheet of paper. Johnny was flushed, and he looked more confused than before.

Kun pried his ear off his phone, and went from reprimanding one chaotic member to another.

“Get _off_ of Johnny!” Kun roared, “I’m begging you, can you _please_ stop being a whore for _five minutes?_ We’ve _talked_ about this, Ten.”

Ten twisted his torso towards Kun, and smiled dangerously. “Oh, I remember exactly how that conversation ended.”

“Ten…” Kun warned.

“I remember you _liked it_ when I-”

“Ten! Shut up! That’s enough of that!” Kun barked. Now his face was turning as pink as Johnny’s.

Their studio audience was quiet with awe and shock. They didn’t know how to react to all of this. Their mouths were hung open, and so was Johnny’s. Ten finally let go of him, and stepped back to give him room to breath again.

When Johnny came back to his senses, he asked, “Wait, did you just imply that…?”

Ten switched to English. “Please honey, not in front of the kids.” He smiled without any teeth, and grabbed Johnny’s wrist. “Let’s take this outside.” Ten yanked Johnny along, and Johnny wordlessly followed.

Kun growled loudly, “Do not wander off!”

“I’ll see the van when it shows up. We’ll be right back!” Ten called across the room, and pushed open the front door.

The chilly, outside air bit at Ten’s rosy skin. The fresh atmosphere was crisp with winter. Ten was bundled in his coat, but Johnny only had his sweater on. It seemed like he couldn’t care less when he took the lead. He pulled Ten to the side of the building, and backed him against the rough, cement wall. Johnny trapped him in place, with both arms planted above Ten’s head.

Johnny looked down with his pretty, honey colored eyes, and suddenly, Ten felt a chill up his spine that wasn’t from the cold.

“Ten, please tell me what your trying to do,” Johnny pleaded with him. He sounded less irritated now.  

Ten raked his eyes up and down his imposing body, and laughed. “Oh Johnny… what are _you_ playing at?”

That kicked up his frustration again. Johnny slammed a fist against the wall. His volume rose, and his voice shook when he spoke. “Stop! Ten, just stop! Don’t make this weird, I just need to talk to you.”

Ten nodded in agreement. “Okay, fine. I’ll quit dodging your questions. I promise I’ll answer truthfully, because you are my dear friend, and I care about you. Talk to me, Johnny. We don’t have a lot of time.”

Johnny lifted his arms off the wall, and took a cautious step back. He drew in a icy breath, and asked his first question.

“Did you just reveal that you and Kun are in a relationship… or...”

Ten scoffed. “I have sex with a lot of people, Johnny.”

Johnny’s breath caught in this throat.

“Has Taeyong… also…?”

Ten softly smiled, “No, Taeyong is nothing like me. Not in that respect. He’s too emotional for casual hook up culture.”

Johnny’s cheeks were turning red again, but his face made an effort to stay calm. “Then why... did you dare me to kiss Taeyong?”

Ten corrected him. “Actually, I asked you to get _Taeyong_ to kiss _you_. There’s a significant difference.”

“Wait, no, but why? Like, is this a joke to you?” Ten watched puffs of hot air escape Johnny’s mouth. He was getting bitter again. It was so strange to see Johnny worked up like this.

“You filled my bed with condoms? Then you sent me that picture? Like, you _can’t_ do things like that, Ten. Have you thought about how Taeyong would feel if he knew? You need his permission to share shit like that.” Johnny thought he was doing a great job of controlling his anger, but it was seeping through the cracks of his words.

Ten smiled through thin lips

Then his little laugh chimed through the air. “But wasn’t that great though? Wasn’t it nice just to see? Isn’t Taeyong so beautiful? You haven't even gotten to see the full video, but I bet you loved seeing Taeyong spread out like that, framed by all your cute stuffed animals. You don’t have to be modest about it, like, I know how you feel, Johnny. I don’t understand why you’re not thanking me.”

Johnny’s hands curled into fists. Ten had hit a nerve.

Ten's last taunt was a mistake.

"Didn't we look so hot together?"

Johnny's eyes flashed with real rage, and it was scary. He rose to his full height, and startled surprise electrified Ten’s veins.

Johnny yelled, and didn’t care who could hear him.

“You _CAN’T_ treat Taeyong like that! He _trusts_ you! He’s not your plaything, and neither am I. You can’t manipulate _me_ like that. I don’t understand why you’re acting like this, because it’s not funny. It’s harmful. You’re better than this, Ten. I don't understand where this is coming from. You can’t just try set us up! What weird enjoyment do you get from all this? None of what you’re doing makes any sense, because, well… b-because...”  Johnny stuttered, and his voice wavered, giving away a little more personal pain than he intended on revealing.

“What is it, Johnny?” Ten ventured.

Then Johnny looked into Ten’s eyes, and spoke solemnly. “Taeyong told me he has someone he likes.”

Ten’s mouth went dry.

Johnny added, “He told me he likes someone he can’t have.”

Ten’s jaw dropped.

He looked at Johnny without saying anything for a long, long time.

“What is it, Ten?”

“Johnny.”

“What.”

“You’re a moron.”

“What?”

“You’re a fucking moron.”

Johnny’s jaw tightened. Ten crossed his arms, and leaned back against the wall.

All warmth left Ten’s voice. “You don’t get it, do you.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you this whole time-”

Ten scoffed again, just this time it was because he just couldn’t believe it.

“I can’t believe your brain is smaller than your dick.”

Johnny squinted. “What?”

“Never mind, just-”

WayV’s van pulled up in front of the dorm. Ten saw it in his peripheral vision, but he didn’t acknowledge it’s arrival. Ten took in a deep breath, and focused on Johnny. His time was ticking away, but this conversation was more important than anything else right now.

Ten lowered his voice, and grabbed a handful of Johnny's sweater. “Do you think I would go through the trouble of all this stupid scheming because I don’t care about Taeyong? Do you think I would buy you condoms, and taunt you with sexy photos just for fun?”

Johnny didn’t reply. Ten let go of his sweater, and looked disgusted.

Ten’s voice shook. “God, you’re such a dick. Do you think I want to pass Taeyong along like a fucking toy? Do you think I _want_ to just give him to you?”

Ten voice dipped into something quieter. “Do you think I want to leave him?” Ten’s breathing was getting emotional, but once he started, he couldn’t stop.

“Listen up, Johnny, I'm only going to say this once. I love Taeyong more than you ever will. Even if this is hard for me, and hard for him, getting you guys together is for the best, because you're wholesome and fucking nice, and guess what? Taeyong loves you more than anything.”

Each word smacked Johnny like a rock in an avalanche. The air was knocked out of his lungs, and couldn’t find his voice. Even though he was a six feet tall man, Johnny suddenly felt very, very small.

“Do you get it now, Johnny?” Ten practically spat.

The members of WayV began to file out of the building. They couldn’t hear them from this distance, but they saw each other. Kun was glaring daggers, and Ten knew he was seriously going to pay for this later.

Johnny opened his mouth, but he said something Ten hadn’t expected.

“Does Taeyong know… how much you love him?”

Ten blinked. That caught him off guard.

He defensively shrugged. “I’ve known about WayV for a long time. I knew about WayV before I was even allowed to tell you guys about it. I knew Taeyong and I weren’t going to be living in the same country in a year, so when things started between us… I didn’t let him get too close.”

“Oh, Ten...”

Ten looked Johnny square in the eyes. “If I let Taeyong fall in love with me, I sure he would have.”

Ten had never admitted this before. He felt vulnerable, but this was Johnny. He deserved to know, and he was one of his best friends.

Ten sighed. “Besides, I know you like Taeyong. I’ve known for a long time. You told me once, even though you probably don’t remember.”

That was certainly news to Johnny. If his eyebrows could have raised off his face, they would have. “Huh?”

Ten fondly smiled at a distant memory. “Look, I have to go now, but I’ll tell you this. It was many years ago, before you debuted. You were frustrated, young, dumb, and I think you were depressed and drinking alone. I found you like that, and then we talked a little bit before you went to sleep. You told me you thought Taeyong was hot, and you secretly wanted to kiss him.”

“Ah wow,” Johnny covered his mouth, laughed for the first time that morning. “How embarrassing.”

“It’s okay.” Ten got off the wall, and turned to leave. He gave Johnny a wave goodbye. “It’s really okay. Good luck, Johnny. Make Taeyong happy.”

Johnny stood still, and watched Ten walk away. Everyone else had loaded into the van, and Kun was outside, fuming. When Ten reached the van, Kun got in first, and Ten followed after him. Ten stepped into the van, and just as he was about to crawl inside, a huge hand grabbed his wrist.

Suddenly, Johnny was behind him, and effortlessly yanking him out. Ten tumbled out, and with a loud sound, Johnny slammed the sliding door behind him. He pushed Ten against the side of vehicle, and he pinned Ten in place. Johnny’s gorgeous face was right above him again, Ten’s heart was racing from a rush of adrenaline.

“Wait Ten, I have one more thing to ask.”

“JOHNNY! WHAT THE FUCK!”

“Ten, please.”

“We HAVE to leave! You can't do this!” Ten shouted frantically.

“Okay, but let me get this straight, so you don’t know if Taeyong knows you love him?” Johnny softly asked, cool as a cucumber.

“I know he thinks I don’t! We’re going to keep it that way.” He added darkly, glaring into Johnny’s naturally soothing eyes.

“No, we’re not.” Johnny answered with conviction.

Fear surged through Ten’s body.  “What the _fuck_ do you mean by that, Johnny.”

Then Johnny said it.

“You have to confess to Taeyong sometime before you leave, or I’ll never touch him.”

It was Ten’s turn to have all the air knocked out of his lungs. He was horrified.

“NO!” Ten squirmed and screamed. “You _can’t_ do that.”

“Yes, I can. Besides, you have five days. That should be enough time to tell him how you really feel.” He offered a sugary smile.

Ten’s heart was pounding, and it felt like it was going to burst. The driver honked, and Kun was furiously knocking on the glass window right by his ear. It was all too much.

Ten tried to bargain with him. "I’m never going to do that, and just think about Taeyong. He _needs_ you.”

Johnny let Ten go. He took a step back. “My friendship with Taeyong is something between him and I. If we keep things as they are, I guarantee you, we will still be very happy. If we want to take things to another level, that’s entirely our decision. However…” Johnny smirked, and Ten’s dizziness was getting unbearable. “If you tell him you’ve been in love with him this whole time, I’ll consider providing for Taeyong.”

Ten’s eyes were wide. His legs felt weak, and he couldn’t remember how to move. He'd known getting Johnny involved would be a risk, but he never could have seen this coming. It was probably the worst way this could have unfolded. Ten didn't deal with his emotions. It was easier to let them burn. But now, Johnny had forced him to confront them. He wanted him to tell Taeyong. Is this was evil tasted like? Then Ten couldn’t help but wonder:

_Is this how he’d made Taeyong feel?_

With one fluid motion, Johnny pulled open the van door, and radiantly smiled at everyone inside. Why was Johnny so stupidly tall and so ridiculously charismatic? Like a charming gentleman, he apologized to the driver, the manager, and then he apologized to Kun directly. He said good morning to everyone else, and shoved Ten inside with a rough push, like nothing had happened.

When the van drove away, Ten sat motionless in his seat. Kun elbowed him in the ribs, and said something about killing him, and in that moment, Ten kinda wished he would.

  
  
  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes, life happens, so this chapter took a long time to publish. it feels so good to finally put this up, because, like, can you believe this shit
> 
>  
> 
> also my crack brain made a [7dtwj playlist out of disney songs??](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mx3m8NkNApUiG3zxs4vKn)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wordlessly dancing like a whore was much easier than actually trying to be one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it’s chapter 7 of 7 days to win johnny! This is the longest update yet, thanks for waiting for another wild ride. warnings: taeyong has a severe panic attack

Taeyong’s makeup artist discovered the hickey.

It was the third day he’d had it, and for some reason, it wasn't healing. With everyday that went by, it looked like it was getting worse. Taeyong was pretty sure this wasn’t how bruises were supposed to work. It was still an ugly, discolored circle of violet. He was beginning to wonder if Ten had used some kind of black magic to curse his skin, or maybe he had nipped it again last night. Taeyong felt bad that he couldn’t remember.

Still, it was embarrassing to catch his reflection in the brightly lit mirror as his make up artist peeled off the band aid. Fortunately, his she was nice about it. She covered it up with heavy concealer before she did anything else. She worked quickly, so Taeyong was fairly certain no one else had gotten an eyeful of the humiliating secret stamped to his neck. She didn’t ask questions, and Taeyong was grateful. She didn’t say anything after that, and Taeyong popped in his airpods.

Taeyong knew this was going to happen at some point. He knew his neck was going to be exposed for all of his concert costumes. He’d been dreading this interaction for days. But it hadn’t been as bad as he’d imagined, and he was so grateful.

Taeyong eventually got over the uncomfortable vibe between him and his stylist, because he had something even more nerve-wracking to think about. Today was going to be a big day, because today, he’d decided how he was going to make his first move on Johnny.

  
  
  
  


Dress rehearsal lasted for nine hours. They had a thirty minute lunch break around 1pm, but outside of that, they were dancing, running, and singing till sunset. It was a grueling workout, but everyone was caught up in the high of perfecting for their first, full length concert. Everyone wanted to get the choreography and logistics just right, because it was their first time practicing in the arena.

Taeyong put his heart and soul into it. His movements were sharp, his timing was impeccable, and overall, his performance was perfect. Taeyong may have confidence issues in other areas of his life, but he knew he was a world-class performer. He could sing and rap, but Taeyong was especially proud of how well he could dance.

Something about being his amped up, performer persona gave him the courage to try something different. He felt comfortable under the lights, and he knew exactly how good he looked. Taeyong’s personality shifted when he was on stage. He was larger than life, absolutely dazzling, and a long string of other glamorous adjectives.

As he moved his body and spat his lyrics, he tried something new. During their first run through, he stole occasional glances at Johnny as he danced.

Taeyong figured it couldn’t hurt to try physically communicate what was too hard to put into words.

Operation: _aggressive flirting_ started from the top, with Cherry Bomb. It was Taeyong’s favorite routine to perform, so it was easy to tune into the right mindset. As they went through the song, Taeyong would make his moves just a bit sluttier. He had been performing this routine for years, so Taeyong knew exactly where Johnny’s eyes were going to be, and at what time.

Wordlessly dancing like a whore was much easier than actually trying to be one. He buried his inhibitions, and smiled. For once, it felt good to be this brave. This was a thinly veiled, and relatively obscene plan, but acting extra hot, and secretly doing it for Johnny, felt exhilarating.

He knew Ten would be so proud if he saw the shit he was trying to pull, and in front of everyone.

When Taeyong spun his legs and successfully did his signature twirl after his backwards fall, he could feel Johnny’s eyes on him. It was an impressive move, and a bubble of pride swelled in Taeyong’s chest as he swung himself back up. His skin prickled as he realized that maybe Johnny had noticed his behavior after all.

That was just the beginning.

Taeyong kept this up for hours. Off-stage Taeyong was locked up tight, and performer Taeyong was thriving. Taeyong rolled his body like a million dollar stripper. Their routines were already designed to be pretty provocative, but Taeyong made the choreography outrageous. He put on quite a show, and to everyone watching, they assumed was just being an excellent role model.

Right before their break, he’d caught Johnny watching him again. That hot flash of eye contact was enough to recharge Taeyong back to 100%.

During lunch, Mark demanded to know how he had so much energy. Taeyong smirked, and lied about sleeping really well last night. Obviously, that couldn’t be further from the truth. He _was_ running on fumes, but this was their concert rehearsal. He couldn’t afford to be tired. Besides, performing for Johnny had been invigorating like nothing else. Taeyong was genuinely proud of how courageous he’d been so far. It was refreshing to feel like he had some control over his life, and maybe even the lovegame.

Then lunch was over, and it was time for Johnny’s piano solo.

In Taeyong’s opinion, this was the most beautiful part of the concert. Johnny appeared at the keyboard like a fallen angel. His white top glowed under the spotlight, and there was just something hypnotically enchanting about his presence. Johnny played at the keyboard, and Taeyong watched him through a monitor backstage. As Johnny played the song, he did something different, something he’d been instructed not to do.

He looked up.

Taeyong tightly pressed his lips together. He could feel the manager beside him tap annoyingly on his clipboard, because Johnny hadn’t done this in their other rehearsals, and at first, Taeyong didn’t understand why. Then he shot a look directly into the camera.

With just a glance from Johnny, Taeyong melted into oblivion.

Johnny’s face was the only weapon he needed. All he had to do was smile. Taeyong’s skin crawled, and his face burned, because it was becoming uncomfortably obvious that Johnny was doing this on purpose.

Johnny’s expression communicated something dangerous. His warm eyes glowed like hot embers. His gaze was intimate, and his eyes were entertaining something far too personal for a stage rehearsal. Even though it was indirect eye contact, it was a message, and Taeyong received it.

Even though Taeyong had been not-so-subtly trying to get his attention all day, he hadn’t anticipated that Johnny might reciprocate. He hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Taeyong kept his eyes glued to the screen, and stared in vacant disbelief.

After all, Johnny had _never_ looked at him like this before. Technically, he was _wasn’t_ looking at him, but he felt it. Even if it was just on the monitor, Taeyong felt like Johnny had just kissed his face. Taeyong knew he was blowing this out of proportion, but the implications hit Taeyong’s brain like an explosive bullet.  Taeyong could do nothing but swallow and wait as he watched Johnny continue to play the piano without needing to look at the keys.

Johnny finished his performance with a confident, princely wink, and the cutest smile ever.

That was the finishing blow. Taeyong had to take a physical step back, because he was experiencing a new wave of lightheadedness. He couldn’t rationalize what had just happened.

_What was Johnny doing?_

Sickeningly sweet thoughts swirled through his mind so thickly it was hard to focus. Taeyong felt drunk. When it was time to run back on stage to perform Regular, his legs felt so much weaker than before. They wobbled as he hopped into the routine, and their head choreographer noticed. She loudly pointed it out as they rehearsed. Taeyong’s face flushed harder at the direct critique. He tried to get a grip, but it was hard, because the Johnny cracked a laugh in his peripheral vision.

Whatever Johnny has been trying to test, he’d succeeded.

The rest of rehearsal flew by. Taeyong went on auto-pilot, and let Johnny’s suave smile endlessly replay behind his eyes. It made Taeyong’s heart flutter, and his feet move faster.

He jumped back into giving the performance of a lifetime, and everyone was impressed even though it was just rehearsal. When their work day was finally over, members, choreographers, and stage hands all praised Taeyong for his efforts. People has noticed he’d given 110% today. Taeyong breathlessly accepted their praises, and focused on staying upright, because he was exhausted. The four hours of sleep he gotten last night were finally starting to hit him like a sledgehammer.

As he unsteadily stepped off the main stage, with burning muscles and sweat dripping down his skin, one of the managers cut him off. He stood between him, and the path to the dressing room.

His face was oddly emotionless, and his voice was unsettlingly strained.

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

Taeyong’s blood ran cold. He knew that tone. This wasn’t going to be another compliment.

Taeyong blinked, and wondered what he’d done wrong. He’d given the best rehearsal ever, but his manager’s disappointment was suffocating. Taeyong was dehydrated, tired, and buzzing with new anxiety.

Taeyong followed his manager till they reached a side room. The door was held open by someone he didn’t recognize, but Taeyong could tell this was going to be a confidential conversation. The manager gestured for him to go inside. Taeyong felt dizzy with fatigue and confusion.

Taeyong nervously scratched his neck, and when be brought down his hand, his fingers were covered with smudged concealer and sweat.

_Shit._

Someone shut the door behind him. No one had said anything yet, but Taeyong was surrounded by vacant stares from important people. Taeyong’s mind was wiped with panic, and his hands began to tremor by his sides.

He knew exactly what he’d done wrong.

  
  
  
  


“Hey Ten,” Kun gave him a tap on the shoulder, and pointed to the door. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

Ten nodded without saying anything, and they left the meeting room. WayV had just finished their last meeting of the day. Once the door was shut behind them, and the hallway was empty, Ken confronted Ten with charged eyes and tight lips.

“When were you planning on explaining the scene you caused this morning?”

Ten’s eyes darted to the floor, and he smiled sheepishly at nothing.

“Ah, um, about that-”

Kun didn’t let him get started. “When were you planning on _apologizing_ for the scene you caused this morning?”

“Uh…” Ten rolled his eyes.

“The entire day has gone by, and you still haven’t brought it up with me.” Kun was clearly upset.

“Look, we weren’t even _that_ late.” Ten kept his eyes down, and he ruffled a hand through his hair. His voice drifted off. “Can we… _not_ … talk about it...”

“No.” Kun’s tone was final. “We’re going to talk about it, right here, right now. And we’re not leaving until I understand what’s going on.”

Ten groaned and then brought his eyes back up to Kun’s. “I hate to break it to you, but my drama is none of your business, Kun.”

Kun stared at Ten like he was a moron. “If you’re going to be a member in my group, unfortunately, everything you do is my fucking business.”

Kun blinked back his anger, and let his temper raise his voice. “Did you forget about the part where you casually humiliated me? In front of everyone? See, I didn’t forget that. You didn’t have to say much to give everyone the wrong idea. I’ve been thinking about it all day, and I can see _them_ thinking about it too.”

Ten swallowed, said nothing, and Kun mercilessly pressed on.

His tone got rougher as his words got harsher. “Remember when I said I would only fuck you if no one knew it happened? Did I imagine that? I thought you promised me, Ten. Are your promises really so _meaningless?”_ Kun drew out a long, heavy pause with betrayed eyes. “How can I even trust you?”

“Kun…” Ten weakly touched Kun’s sleeve, and he yanked his arm away.

Kun’s smile was poisonous. “You’re going to have to do much better than that, Ten.”

Kun had a face pretty like a rose, but his sharp words pricked at his insides like thorns. Ten hadn’t expected Kun to be so hurt about this. Ten searched Kun’s eyes, and wondered if he would be willing to forgive him.

It didn’t look like it would be easy.

Ten sighed. “Everything’s fine. You really don’t have to worry about it. I highly doubt anything like that will happen again.”

“Bullshit.”

Kun breathed in a chest full of enraged air, and jutted a finger into Ten’s chest.

“Whatever the hell is going on, you need to get your shit together before we leave for China. Are you causing problems for Johnny? Do you need me to apologize for you?”

Kun was mocking him now, and it stung.

Ten flexed his fingers and took in a deep breath. He knew Kun got like this when he was hurt. Kun wasn’t going to drop this, and Ten’s heart felt heavy with guilt.

He wrapped his hand around Kun’s wrist, and pulled them into the bathroom across the hall.

“What? Ten?” The door swung closed behind them, and Ten placed a finger on Kun’s lips to cut him off.

“Look, listen to me Kun, I really mean this. I’m sorry.” Kun blinked, and Ten placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. Kun nervously glanced around the restroom, and no one else was there.

He spoke sincerely. “I’m sorry I embarrassed you. Your privacy is valid, and you’re right, I broke a promise a between us. I risked hurting your feelings to get what I wanted, and that was bad. I royally fucked up, and I’m really sorry.”

Ten removed his finger from Kun’s lips, and Kun let out a frustrated exhale.

“What am I going to do with you, Ten.”

In a tone below a whisper, Ten added: “And I meant what I promised.”

“What?” Kun wasn’t sure what Ten meant by that.

“My promises have meaning.” Ten enunciated every syllable like it was a magic spell.

Ten yanked Kun him into the nearest bathroom stall. Kun gasped with surprise, and before he knew what was happening, Ten had him pressed against the stall wall and the latch locked behind them.

“What happens between us, stays between us.” Ten drew out his words like a devious snake, and eyes flicked back up to Kun’s. Kun watched Ten’s guilt and regret transform into something playful and daring. He wore a little smirk that had made Kun weak once before.

Ten firmly placed his his hands on Kun’s hips, and leaned into his space. Ten cocked his head to the side so he could talk into Kun’s ear. Kun involuntarily shivered as he felt Ten’s hot breath against his skin.

“Will you let me suck you off? Right now?”

One of Ten’s hands wandered down Kun’s jeans, and his fingertips brushed over his clothed crotch.  

Kun opened his mouth to answer, but then Ten’s mouth was on his. Kun saw a million colors at the same time, and his world as thrown off-balance.

Kun and Ten had never kissed before. Kissing had been considered too intimate for them, but now, it was how Ten chose to communicate how he was feeling.

Ten tasted like spearmint and remorse. As Ten kissed him slower, and deeper, Kun felt how sorry he was. His kisses were meltingly sweet and a little bitter, like expensive chocolate. Kun realized that Ten was very good at this. He couldn’t piece together how, but Ten’s kisses had a magical way of lifting away all the stress in his body. Blood rushed through him, and Kun felt powerless against the endorphins multiplying within his veins.

Kun hazily opened his eyes, and Ten was already down his knees. His hands were quickly working on Kun’s fly.

“Ten…” Kun, suddenly love drunk, and he’d forgotten how to draw up words.

“Please? Will you let me?” Ten asked through his eyelashes.

He nodded, even though he didn’t know why. Maybe it was because Ten was Ten. Maybe it was because he’d forgive him. Whatever it was, reason had evacuated Kun’s brain, and he felt embarrassed for so easily falling under his charm. He ran an hand through Ten’s hair, and used the other covered his mouth. This was mental. Ten purred, and pulled Kun’s jeans down to the floor.

Kun couldn’t believe he was letting Ten suck him off in a public bathroom.

Ten was quick. He didn’t seem nervous about this at all. His confidence was sexy. Ten freed Kun’s cock, like this was no different than the privacy of the dorms. Ten wrapped his mouth around Kun without any foreplay. As Kun muffled a groan, Ten brought him in deeper without an preamble. Kun clutched Ten’s hair so hard, Ten’s scalp bloomed with pain.

Kun absently wondered if Ten had done this before.

Ten got Kun to cum in within two minutes. Ten knew what would be enough to send Kun over the edge. After all, anyone could come in at any moment, and that was contributing factor.

After that, Kun didn’t ask about Johnny again.  

  
  
  
  


Taeyong had been gorgeous. Tantalizingly gorgeous.

Johnny hadn’t had a moment to process everything.

Taeyong’s crush on him was scaldingly hot, new information.

As he sat in the front seat of the second van, he foggily blinked through his sleepiness, and he let his mind wander. He pulled together the things Ten had said this morning, and absently reflected on Taeyong’s behavior from rehearsal.

Johnny frowned, and wished he hadn't stuck the stupid challenge with Ten.

He’d made it clear to Ten that he wasn’t going to touch Taeyong, but after today, he actually wanted to share the secret he’d kept so well guarded.

He was being fair to Ten. He already had a intimate relationship with Taeyong, and Taeyong deserved to know Ten’s true feelings first. It was was right thing to do, and Taeyong deserved honesty above all else.

But after today’s rehearsal, Johnny allowed himself to imagined what they could be like. Johnny’s memory self-indulgently flicked to the picture the forbidden picture Ten had texted him, and he imagined how Taeyong would look like sprawled out beneath him.

Then Doyoung’s voice broke his lazy haze.

“Where’s Taeyong?”

Johnny turned around, and looked to the other members in their van. There was an empty spot where Taeyong was supposed to be, and it was time to leave for the restaurant. Doyoung squinted skeptically, and Jaehyun shrugged.

“Did he get in the other van?” Johnny wondered aloud.

Doyoung hummed, and looked outside. They all saw the first van pulling away. “Maybe.”

Jaehyun pulled out his phone. “I’ll ask someone if he’s with them.”

He got an instant reply, and he reported back to the group, “Nope, Yuta says he’s not there.”

Doyoung watched their car drive off. “And if they’re leaving, that means their van is full.  I think everyone is accounted for besides him. Huh, Taeyong is usually the one doing the headcounts.  Do you guys think this is weird?”

Jaehyung added, “Honestly, I haven’t seen him since he was on stage.”

Johnny was already getting out of the van.

Jaehyun called after him before he shut the door. “We’ll wait for you!”

Johnny nodded. “I’ll text you.”

  
  
  
  


It took fifteen minutes for Johnny to find Taeyong.

He expected to run into him by the stage doors, but Taeyong wasn’t ready. Johnny ducked by the dressing rooms, and he swept all of the long hallways. He asked a few of the lingering staff members if they had seen him. He did laps around the arena’s maze-like corridors, but no one had seen Taeyong since the show. This wasn’t looking good.

Johnny had his thumb over the call button for a manager, but something made him stop. He was circling by the dressing rooms again, and found one of the makeup artists was waiting beside the door with a large, packed up bag. Johnny put his hand on the door handle, and the woman let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank god,” she muttered under her breath. “I can’t lock up until he goes home.”

Johnny acted fast. He swung the door open, and this time, he looked around the space carefully. It was dark. Johnny flicked on a switch, and the overhead lights illuminated the dressing room. All of their costumes were neatly lined up on racks, and everything else was put away. The chairs were empty, and the room still appeared to be vacant.

But at the farthest end of the room, Johnny hear the unmistakable sound of a dry sob.

Johnny spotted him on the couch. Taeyong was hunched over, and quietly weeping. His feet were planted on the floor, and his body was folded over his thighs. Johnny could tell he was trying to stop crying into his hands, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

Something was definitely wrong.

Fortunately, Johnny had a talent for handling emergency situations.

It was time to shift into professional best friend mode. Even though he didn’t know what the problem was, he knew what to do next. Johnny swiped to a different contact in his phone, and hit call. Jaehyun picked up immediately.

“Hey, It’s me. I found Taeyong, and he fell asleep. I’m going to take him back to the dorms, and I’ve got a staff member to drive us there. You can tell the van driver to leave without us, and you guys can join everyone else at the restaurant. Can you let the others know that we’re too tired to go out tonight?” Johnny’s voice remained steady, and his lies stayed eerily seamless. “Yeah, he’s fine. Not injured or anything, just tired. Okay, thanks. I’ll see you later, Jaehyun. I owe you one.”

He started walked towards Taeyong, and Taeyong’s crying grew louder. He stayed folded over. Johnny began another call just as quickly as he ended the first one.

“Hello, I would like to call a cab? Yes, that is the address. Ten minutes? That sounds great. Yes, I just received the driver’s number. Can I meet them out front? Thank you very much.”

Johnny slipped his phone back into pocket, and in just one stride, he was at Taeyong’s side. He knelt down before him, and tried to take a peek at Taeyong’s tearstained face.

“Taeyong?”

Johnny kept his voice soft and gentle like smooth buttercream.

Johnny realized Taeyong couldn’t lift his head. Taeyong was physically paralyzed by fear, and drowning in toxic blend of emotions Johnny couldn’t identify. Taeyong’s arms were locked to his sides. As Johnny tried to communicate with him, Taeyong couldn’t respond properly. He’d open his mouth to speak, but sobs replaced the words he was desperately trying to grasp.

Johnny changed his tactics. He took a seat beside him on the couch, and lovingly rubbed his back. This wasn’t the first time he’d helped Taeyong through a panic attack. Johnny said nothing, and patiently waited for Taeyong cry it all out. Staying close, and being supportive was all that mattered right now.

But Taeyong was getting worse. Johnny felt his body tighten even more, and his sobs began to speed up. Usually, this was around the time Taeyong would begin to physically calm down.

“Taeyong, please, breathe for me.”

Instead, Taeyong had started hyperventilating. Johnny did his best to remain calm, and responded instantly. He tried to get Taeyong to sit up. All the muscles in Taeyong’s body were either stiff with tension or shaking with raw anxiety. Taeyong had lost control of his body, and Johnny was just glad he wasn’t going through his alone anymore. He knew he could pass out if he stayed folded up like this. It didn’t matter how strong Johnny was, it was tough to help pull him apart. After murmuring a long strings of encouraging words into Taeyong’s ear, and he was able to get Taeyong to sit up for him.

Taeyong’s hands were still covering his face, and he was still hyperventilating tears. Johnny asked him to trying taking deep breaths, and didn’t stop reminding him that everything was going to be okay.

Finally, the worst of it passed through Taeyong. Eventually, Johnny’s words made it through his ears, and after the longest three minutes of their lives, Taeyong was beginning to come down from his panic.

Once he was able to breathe again, Taeyong slowly drew his hands away from his face, and turned to Johnny.

Taeyong blinked away tears the size of coins. His wet eyelashes were clumping together, and his face was blotchy, red, and swollen. His hands still had a quiver to them, but he it was much better than it had been just a few seconds ago. The physical symptoms of his attack were phasing away, but Taeyong was still out of breath. Johnny thought he looked too drained to stay awake any longer.

His vulnerability tugged at Johnny’s heart. Johnny ran his hand up and down Taeyong’s back, and tried to talk to him again.

“Taeyong? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

He studied Taeyong’s face, and searched for what was wrong. He had never seen Taeyong’s big eyes steeped with this much pain before.

Fresh tears threatened to fall when Taeyong answered.

“No, please don’t. No else can know.” He ragged voice spoke too quickly.

“Taeyong, this is nothing to be embarrassed about-”

Taeyong cut him off, and looked him in the eye. “They know.” Taeyong’s hand cradled the side of his neck. “Management knows about the hickey. They confronted me about it. Just now.”

“Oh my god.” Johnny slipped into English.

He moved a hand from Taeyong’s back to his shoulder. Johnny lounged back into the couch, and pulled Taeyong into him. Taeyong let all of his weight thud against Johnny’s chest. Taeyong slouched into him like a rag doll, and buried his face into Johnny’s collarbone. Johnny felt his chest expand and contract as he inhaled and exhaled. Holding Taeyong was like cradling a small, delicate bird.

“I’m so stupid.” Taeyong muttered.

New tears were welling up in Taeyong’s eyes, and Johnny could feel them as they fell onto the fine fabric of his shirt.

Johnny patiently stroked his hair. “Don’t self-deprecate. This isn’t your fault, it’s going to be okay.“

Taeyong spoke over him again. “No, it is. I let this happen. I’m better than this, Johnny.” Taeyong sniffled. “It’s all my fault.”

“But isn’t it…” Johnny spoke cautiously. “...Ten’s fault?”

Taeyong shook his head.

“It’s my fault, because I let Ten do this to me. But also... b-because…” Johnny could feel Taeyong’s hands start to tremor again. “...because it represents something else.” Taeyong curled into Johnny, and Johnny could barely hear what he said next. “I have a feeling, that the hickey will disappear... once I...”

Johnny didn’t understand an ounce of what Taeyong was talking about, but he was just glad Taeyong was talking.

“Do they know about Ten?” Johnny asked as nonchalantly as he could.

Taeyong shook his head, and uncurled himself a little. “I never told them. They really pressed me though. It was hard not to tell them.” Taeyong made a sound that sounded like a bitter laugh. “When they cornered me, they had a list of women already printed out and everything. It included everyone and anyone from idols to female staff. I feel like they were going through scandal protocol when they asked who I was involved with. It was ridiculous. I just assured them it would never happen again, and I was very sorry.”

As Taeyong talked, Johnny untangled his hand from Taeyong’s hair, and wrapped his arms around his small body. He snuggly held him in a genuine hug as he listened and understood.

A quiet moment passed between them, then Johnny whispered into Taeyong’s hair.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be here sooner.”

Johnny tenderly kissed Taeyong's head. He did it without thinking, it just felt right. Taeyong grew quiet, and Johnny heard his breath hitch.

Johnny softly added, “And list of girls? I suppose that shows how well they know you.” Johnny wondered if Taeyong could feel him smiling into his hair.

He could.

Taeyong silently blinked. He was spellbound by Johnny’s simple intimacy. Johnny could feel Taeyong’s eyelashes tickle against his shirt’s fabric, and he could feel him actually relaxing into his large torso.

Good.

They sat like that, peacefully tangled in each other's arms, until a notification chimed on Johnny’s phone.

“This car is here.” Johnny pulled away, and Taeyong rubbed his face on his sleeve.

Johnny offered his hand, and Taeyong accepted. They held hands all the way to the door.

  
  
  
  


Taeyong was beyond exhausted. Before Johnny had rescued him, every part of him had felt weary and rotten. His thoughts had been spiraling into hopelessness, and then Johnny came along, and he made the harsh atmosphere soften into honey.

He was such a mess, and Johnny had been unconditionally wonderful, as always. Taeyong couldn’t be more comfortable, despite how severely delirious he was.

Taeyong was was still nervous about the cab. It was an unapproved vehicle, and if SM found out they were taking random cars driven by strangers, they could get in trouble. But Johnny was cool and confident about it, and Taeyong understood why he was taking the risk. He was doing it for him.

Johnny’s kindness was too much, Taeyong wished it wasn’t making him nauseous.

It was a nice car. Taeyong was too tired and messed up to identify what kind, but this wasn’t just a taxi. The seats were black leather, and the interior smelled brand new. Taeyong wondered how much money Johnny was spending on this private ride.

Even though there was a spot between them, it didn’t feel like it, because Johnny was big and the backseat was small. He easily filled the space. Taeyong focused on trying to keep his heavy eyelids open. His goal was just to cling to consciousness. He was physically and emotionally spent, and it was difficult to stay alert.

Johnny picked up on that.

“Here,” Johnny pulled him over by the shoulder.  “Lay on me, and just try to sleep.”

Their driver glanced at him through the back view mirror, and Johnny responded confidently, just by placing a finger over his lips. Taeyong gave in, and nodded off asleep within a few seconds.

  
  
  
  


“Taeyong? We’re here.”

He felt a warm hand lift off his shoulder, and Taeyong fluttered his eyes open. When he could see again, he came face to face with Johnny. He was so much closer than Taeyong had remembered. And for once, it didn’t make Taeyong nervous. He could feel heat radiant off Johnny’s warm face, and count the lights dance in his amber eyes.

This was different than last time he’d woken up on Johnny’s shoulder. This wasn’t like the airplane.

This time, when he lifted his heavy skull, he felt safe, loved, and protected. His emotions flooded with delicious warmth, and Johnny tucked a lock of pink hair behind his ear. Taeyong’s body felt light like a cloud, and for the first time in so long, he felt happy. Johnny smiled at him, and the car slowed to a stop. Taeyong could watch Johnny smile forever.

As the car slowed down, time slowed down with it. Maybe it was just the sleepy brain of a boy in love, Taeyong did something he’d wanted to try for years.

He leaned in to kiss Johnny.

  
  
  
  


Taeyong was crawling into his lap, and before he knew it, that pretty doll face he cherished so much was an inch from his own. Johnny’s chest tightened, his breath hitched, and his organs swam in his gut.

Taeyong’s lips landed on his own. Light pulsed through Johnny’s bloodstream, and he couldn’t help kissing him back. He returned Taeyong’s shy kiss with a gentle kiss of his own, lighter than a feather. For a sliver of second, this backseat was heaven on earth.

Then the promise he’d made this morning pierced him like a falling ice.

 _He said he wouldn’t touch Taeyong until Ten confessed_.

A million thoughts reeled through Johnny’s brain, and the sweetness in his mouth was replaced with something unbearably bitter. His heart dropped as he pulled he yanked his head back.

How was he supposed to know _this_ was going to happen today? Would it ever happen again?

“Taeyong, I just, I’m sorry, I can’t.” Johnny knew he was being sloppy.

He hated everything that happened next. He hated watching Taeyong freeze, his jaw fall, and his face loose all it’s color. He looked embarrassed, humiliated, but then Johnny realized something even worse.

He looked hurt. Johnny saw his doe eyes getting glassy again.

Johnny thickly swallowed, put his hand on the door handle, and mumbled another apology. Taeyong scrambled off of him, and bolted out of the car like a frightened animal.  Once Johnny was outside, Taeyong was already deep inside the dorm.

Johnny ran a hand through his brown hair, and stared at the black sky.

“Shit.”

  
  
  
  


Taeyong’s dorm door swung open, he stripped his clothes, and jumped into the shower. After his much needed shower, he dried himself off, and went straight to bed. But when he pulled back the blankets, a familiar mop of black hair was resting face first into his pillow.

It was Ten.

Taeyong was too beaten up to yell at him for breaking into his room. He flopped his naked body down beside him, pulled up the blankets, and planted his face into the pillow too.

Ten turned his head to the side, and grinned.

“How was your day, sweetie?”

Taeyong didn’t reply.

“That bad?” Ten ran a hand through Taeyong’s damp hair, and Taeyong turned to face him. He was so sick of crying, but his eyes were blurring with water again.

“Baby…” Ten cooed, and tilted Taeyong’s face up by his chin. “Who hurt you?”

Taeyong used his last bit of energy to turn the tables. He was sick of being manipulated, and he sick of being pathetic. He needed to forget about everything, and fast. That’s what Ten was for. He flipped over, pinned down Ten’s wrists, and planted his knees beside Ten’s hips. Without saying a word, he dove down on Ten’s lips.

Ten was confused, but he went with it. He opened his mouth to let Taeyong in, and he allowed Taeyong be greedy. Ten didn’t mind being used like this, but something didn’t feel right. Taeyong’s arms quivered until they gave out, and he ungracefully fell to the side. This didn’t stop him though, Taeyong just got more aggressive. Taeyong pulled Ten closer, wove his bare legs with Ten’s sweatpants, and latched his mouth back on to Ten’s face. Ten smirked into Taeyong as they made out, and he skirted his fingertips down the edge of Taeyong’s bare torso. Taeyong shivered, and raked Ten’s lower lip with his teeth, hard. Ten was about to laugh, because Taeyong never did that, but then he halted when felt tears that didn’t belong to him.

Ten pulled back, and got a good look at Taeyong.

“You’re fucked up, dude.” Ten diagnosed.

Taeyong’s face shifted through three different emotions. First he groaned and scowled, then his eyebrows began to quiver, and then his whole face fell into unfathomable sadness, Ten wondered if he was going to start bawling. He didn’t, but Taeyong’s breathing got loud and nervous.

Taeyong dug his nails into Ten’s biceps, and clenched his jaw.

“What the hell happened to you?”  Ten eyed him up and down. “You haven't said anything, and you’re freaking me out. Start talking.”

Taeyong flopped on his back, and shut his eyes. He stayed quiet for a few minutes. Ten propped himself up on one arm, and waited for Taeyong to find his words again.

Taeyong’s first sentence sent Ten into shock.

“Johnny rejected me.”

Ten’s eyes got wide, and his brain short circuited. “He what now?”

Taeyong’s lips trembled when he said it the second time, “Johnny... rejected me.”

“But that’s not possible.”

“I kissed him, Ten. I actually tried. It felt so fucking good, and when he kissed me back, I thought he- but I’m so fucking stupid.” Taeyong covered his eyes with his arm, and thickly swallowed back tears. He wasn’t going to cry anymore. “Johnny pushed me off, and turned me down, and after nursing me back from a panic attack." Taeyong brought down his arm. "Management knows about the hickey by the way. That was the first soul-crushing thing that happened today. They don’t know about you though, so you can just relax, for now.”

Ten gasped, and he felt incredibly sick. His mind spun, and the room seemed to tilt sideways. He was never going to be able to relax again, not until he made this right.

This was his fault.

Ten sat up, crawled over Taeyong, and got out of bed. Taeyong tugged on Ten’s sweatpants with such a weak grip, Ten hadn’t realized he was holding on to him.

“Let go. I have to go yell at Johnny. He’s an idiot. Where did you leave him?” Ten glanced down at the most miserable, tried boy in the world.

He made Taeyong like this. This was not how this week was supposed to go.

“Don’t…” Taeyong’s voice was distant and thick with fatigue. “It has nothing to do with you. Please don’t, you’ll just make things worse…” Taeyong’s tired mewling was like a dagger to the gut. He had no idea how good he was at making things worse.

Ten grimaced, because now, Taeyong was paying for his own mistakes.

“This is so fucking stupid.” Ten muttered under his breath.

Taeyong couldn't hear him anymore. His arm fell from Ten’s sweatpants, and just like that, sleep took him. Ten watched slow, sleepy breaths leave Taeyong’s mouth, and he watched his chest peacefully rise and fall. A single tear rolled down his pretty face, and Ten watched it hit the pillow.

Ten smiled sadly. It hurt to see Taeyong wreaked in all the wrong ways.

“I wish you knew how much I loved you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> talk to me on my new [twitter](https://twitter.com/dyslexia____)  
> 💚💚💚  
> 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last night, Taeyong royally fucked up by actually kissing Johnny Seo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> grab on to something, because the roller coaster starts up right where we left off, three months later

Taeyong’s heavy eyelids were greeted with the soft touch of sunlight. It’s gentle warmth made his skin feel peaceful and relaxed in the most comfortable way. His muscles felt numb with lazy fatigue, and his mind still felt hypnotized with sleep. Taeyong knew it was time to wake up, but his alarm hadn’t gone off yet, so he pulled up the covers, and hid from the bright light of day.

As Taeyong transitioned into consciousness, his senses were slow to pick up on his surroundings. He was too mindless to see, and too foggy to hear, but something felt abnormal. The cotton under his cheek was different. It was far softer than he remembered. It wasn’t the crisp, freshly washed pillowcase he’d put on his pillow. Someone else’s scent dully clung to the material, but Taeyong was still too hazy to identify it. It was one with a much higher thread count, and the heavy fragrance of fabric softener.

A spark of sharp static hit Taeyong’s brain as he realized he was waking up in someone else’s bed. He was wearing nothing but an oversized, white t-shirt that definitely wasn’t his.

His fight or flight instincts kicked in. His body jolted up and his eyes snapped open. He felt like he was waking up underwater or locked in some kind of dream, because he was in Kun’s dorm, in Kun’s bed, with no memory of how he got there, practically naked. 

Taeyong realized Kun was sitting right there, in a desk chair brought beside the bed. He was peacefully reading a book with an ankle resting on one knee. Kun was fully dressed, with a fresh face of makeup, perfectly styled hair, and a crisp suit. He looked great, and Taeyong wondered how long he’d been awake.

Kun uncrossed his legs, and looked up with one of his brightest smiles. “Oh good, you’re up.” He set down his book, and moved to the edge of his seat.  “Good morning, Taeyong. How are you feeling?”

His muscles were sore from yesterday’s rehearsal, his stomach twisted with hunger, and his brain felt like it was drowning. This situation was too unexplainable. Taeyong rubbed his eyes, and tried to shake off how disoriented this was. His confusion felt like it was causing physical symptoms. 

“Kun? What happened?” Taeyong looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes. He was high on a new spike of anxiety. His doey eyes glinted in the morning light, and Kun’s face softened. Taeyong was like a skittish cat, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

Kun pressed his lips into a tight smile, and he leaned back into his chair, thinking carefully. “You’re here because you have a couple of very good friends, who love you very much.” Kun gestured towards the bedside table. 

The surface had been cleared off for a massive bouquet of flowers. They were wrapped with gold paper, and tied together with a pretty silk ribbon. Taeyong smelled them before he saw them. The bouquet was dense with roses, lilies, and the largest peonies Taeyong had ever seen. They looked thoughtfully curated, and expensive. There was a pink envelope tucked between the petals. Taeyond pulled it out, and revealed a square sheet of paper with Doyoung and Yuta’s idol signatures.

“You just missed them.” Kun added. “I’m sure they’ll be back.” 

Taeyong’s face twisted with concern. He wondered if he’d lost time, fainted, or had entered some kind of mini-coma. Nothing was adding up. He reached out to check his phone, but it was nowhere in sight. It was strange to be without his phone.

“What time is it?” Taeyong glanced back up at Kun’s calm face, still seeking answers. “I really need to get ready. My schedule starts early today. I have a recording session for Awaken, an important meeting, and then rehearsal starts up again.” 

Kun smiled, and booped Taeyong’s forehead. “You’re not going anywhere. It’s only nine, but you’ve been asleep since seven last night. I called in for you. As far as your manager is concerned, you’re sick. And it was easy to convince him, because you’ve been out for nearly fourteen hours.” 

Taeyong couldn’t believe it. “Fourteen hours? You called in for me?” He nervously gulped. “We _can’t_ do that. You _know_ we can’t do that. And you lied for me? That’s not like you, Kun. I’m fine.”

Kun seemed oddly relaxed about the whole situation. “Believe me, it’s okay, I made arrangements for you. Your recording session has been rescheduled, and your meeting got cancelled. You need to rest, just for a little while longer. Relax for once, and try to trust me.”

Taeyong’s wasn’t buying it. “You can’t be serious. What about _your_ schedule? WayV debuts _this_ _week_. How can you just sit here? I’ve seen everything they expect you to get done.”

Kun sighed. “I told you, I made arrangements. Please just try to lay down, and let me take care of you. Right now, I’m the best person for the job. Once you’ve recovered, you can get right back to it.”

Taeyong stared at him blankly. “What do you think I’m recovering from?”

Kun cheerlessly smirked. “You need a break, because… well…” He flicked his eyes to Taeyong’s exposed neck. The wide collar of his mysterious shirt did little to hide his big bruise.

His creamy skin was still stained purple, like spilled wine. His four day old hickey still looked as fresh as ever. It didn’t seem to matter how much time passed, this wound had decided to never heal. It was definitely a curse mark at this point. Taeyong’s face flushed with a fresh round of humiliation. He instinctively slapped a hand over it, like he’d been doing all week.

Taeyong felt a dip of pain as he made contact with his abused skin. He was overcome with a wave of fresh stress which made him gag. It was the symbol of the love game. He felt ashamed and embarrassed, on top of his lightheadedness from low blood sugar. He glanced at a nearby mirror, and was finally able to get a good look at himself. He’d fallen asleep with damp hair, and now it was curling in all the wrong directions. His eyes were swollen, and his face was uncharacteristically blotchy and red. It took Taeyong a moment to remember why he looked like such a disaster.

Rehearsal. 

The kiss.

Johnny.

Ten. 

That had really happened.

Taeyong ran a hand through his messy hair, and sucked in an enormous breath, but that didn't stop his heart rate from speeding up exponentially. It didn’t matter if Kun knew about his affair with Ten. Taeyong had a hard time drawing up the energy to care about that anymore, because last night’s memories began to cut through him like a hail storm. It all flooded back at once. He remembered performing. He remembered management. He remembered hiding, and crying, and he remembered Johnny’s voice, and how wonderful it made him feel. He remembered falling asleep in a fancy car, and waking up feeling like he’d woken up at the gates of heaven. Then he remembered feeling brave, then he remembered exactly how Johnny tasted. Then he remembered how his veins burned like ice the moment Johnny pulled back from his lips. 

Last night, he’d royally fucked up by actually kissing Johnny Seo. 

The crushing weight of failure flooded through him, and he fell apart. Water snuck its way into the corners of Taeyong’s eyes, and Kun’s room had started to blur. This kind of anxiety was like standing on the edge of an impossibly tall building, and suddenly falling. As his breathing started getting faster, his body went stiff, and Kun lunged out of his chair. He planted himself beside Taeyong, and secured his hand to his back like a magnet. Without warning, Taeyong began to sob, letting himself drown in fear all over again.

Kun had been ready for it. He cooed and soothed with hushes and whispers. He repeated reassuring words, and soft _it’s gonna be okays_. His voice was firm, but gentle. This continued for a few minutes. Kun allowed Taeyong space to let out what he needed to. SM didn’t schedule enough time for privacy, so Kun was glad he had miraculously carved out a slot of time just this. Taeyong needed it.

Then Kun started talking.  “I admit, I don’t know the details about what happened, but I think I can understand what you’re feeling.” 

There was no way Kun could understand how he was feeling, but the emotional pain woven into Kun’s voice caught Taeyong’s attention. Taeyong blinked profusely, chasing away blobs of salty water, and heaved his chest with a deep breath before looking up at Kun. He waited for Kun to explain what he meant, and Kun waited for Taeyong to physically relax again. He wiped tears off Taeyong’s face with the cuff of his sleeve. 

After a moment, Kun tenderly brushed Taeyong’s hickey with his thumb. “Did Ten do this to you?” He asked quietly. It was a question he already knew the answer to. 

Taeyong wiped his nose and nodded. “A couple of days ago.”

“Wow,” Kun reacted as he evaluated the damage. He lightly traced around the mark, and Taeyong shivered with sensitivity. Then Kun withdrew his hand, and his voice turned sour. “That bitch.”

Maybe Kun had been right. Maybe, in some weird way, he was the only person who could take care of him right now. Kun understood Ten. 

“Taeyong, can I ask you something kind of unprofessional?” His voice went back to being soft with concern and curiosity. He ran his hand through Taeyong’s wild, fluffy pink hair. Taeyong clumsily nodded with closed eyes. It had been a long time since Kun had given him so much attention.

Kun stilled his hand, and his softness vanished.  “Is Ten using sex to control you?” His tone became serious, severe, and loud, like he was strictly talking business. “Have you ever felt manipulated?” Kun grazed a finger over the hickey again, but this time, Taeyong flinched. 

Just like that, Taeyong’s fraction of relaxation was over. 

He untangled himself from Kun, and turned to face him. But Kun didn’t stop pressing him for more information. “I know this is difficult, but please be honest with me. Is he using you to get something he wants? Is he forcing you into something? Has he tried using blackmail? It’s really important that I know this.”

Taeyong’s mouth went dry. It was the last thing he’d expected to hear from Kun. He didn’t have a good way to explain how he felt about Ten either. Sure, Ten’s love game had become a humiliating scheme that had ruined his life, but it was too complicated to summarize it like that. Taeyong knew Ten’s deal came from a place of affection. He knew _Ten_ came from a place of affection, even if he had a terrible way of showing it. Ten always wanted what was best for him, Taeyong was sure about that.

But Taeyong’s speechlessness was enough of an answer for Kun. He tightened his jaw,  “I’m kicking Ten out of WayV.”

Taeyong blurted out words again. “You can’t do that!”

Kun clicked his tongue, and crossed his arms. “You’re absolutely right, I can’t do that. I don’t have that kind of authority, but we know the people that do.” Kun was launching into unforgiving leader mode, and Taeyong was getting nervous for Ten’s sake. Kun could get lethal when he was mad. “WayV still hasn’t debuted, and Ten can’t keep acting like this.” Kun got off the bed, and sighed like an exhausted, overworked father. “I care about Ten a lot, but I have to keep him in check.” Kun turned back to Taeyong. “I'm afraid of what’s going to happen when he doesn’t have you.”

A notification went off, and Kun pulled his phone out of his pocket. Something about his new text made him frown.

Kun continued. “But in all seriousness, whatever he’s roped you into has disrupted your career, and it’s my job to keep Ten in line.” He talked and typed emotionlessly. “Thank you Taeyong, you’ve given me all the information I needed.”

Taeyong crawled out of bed, and leaned over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”

Kun shook him off, and stepped away. “This doesn’t concern you. You can go take a shower, and I’ll explain what’s going to happen next when you’re done.”

Taeyong shurgged, and walked towards the door. “Um, okay? I don’t need to shower though, I took one last night, but I appreciate you looking out for me. I still don’t understand why I slept here, but thank you Kun. I guess I should thank Doyoung and Yuta too. This was nice. I’ll get dressed and come back.” 

Taeyong almost forgot he wasn’t wearing anything under the oversized t-shirt. He pulled it down, covering his bare ass, and mumbled something about wanting pants. Taeyong picked up a pair of pajama bottoms from a chair, and made way towards the dorm door. 

Then Kun moved forward, and blocked Taeyong’s path with his body. Taeyong was stunned to see Kun peering down on him with silent authority. In this moment, he radiated everything a leader should be, but Taeyong didn’t understand why he was like this. 

“No.” The solid syllable echod like a command. “You’re going to take a shower in my bathroom.” Kun’s voice was growing severe again.

Taeyong raised his voice, thrown back into cloud of confusion. “Why?”

Kun widened his eyes, and gestured to the other door, making it clear that Taeyong didn’t have a choice. “Please just use my shower, it’s right through the other door.”

“Huh? What?” Taeyong swerved around him. “Why won’t you let me leave?” 

Taeyong tried to slip away, but Kun clamped on to Taeyong’s boney wrist with an iron grip. “Please believe me, I’m helping you.” He tightened his fingers, and was speaking through his teeth now. It was starting to scare the shit out of Taeyong. “I’m helping you more than you know.”

“Kun, what is going on?” Taeyong blurted out.

Kun yanked on Taeyong’s arm, forcefully dragging him towards the bathroom. Taeyong squirmed, but Kun was stronger. “You’re showering, right now!” Kun announced to the empty bedroom. 

Once he’d shut the door to the bathroom, Kun let go of Taeyong unceremoniously. Next, he reached an arm into the shower stall, and turned it on. The sleeve of his silk suit got drenched the moment he started the shower. Strangely enough, Kun didn’t seem to care. He whispered at Taeyong over the loud rush of water. “You’re _not_ supposed to know this, but SM bugged my dorm room.”

Taeyong’s face contorted.

“Huh?” 

“Look, it’s just the bedroom but-”

Taeyong couldn’t fathom what Kun was implying. 

“Are you serious?” Taeyong’s squeaky voice got louder.

“Shush, please do not raise your voice, like I said, the dorm is bugged-” Kun began, but then it all came together and Taeyong bubbled over the edge.

“Did you just sell me out? Oh my god, did I just sell _Ten_ out? What have you done?!” Taeyong felt smacked with betrayal, and was rightfully horrified by this breach of trust. “Do you know what will happen if SM knows about us? Are you actually trying to kick out Ten out of the company?” Taeyong’s voice became shrill with worry. 

“No!” Kun shouted. “I made a deal with management to help you, to buy you time, to give you a break, to lighten your penalty.  Selling out Ten was the price, and really,” Kun put his hands on Taeyong’s shoulders, and looked him square in the eye. Water from his soaked suit dripped down Taeyong’s t-shirt, and the shower continued to roar behind them. 

“He deserves it.” 

Taeyong was still reeling. He pushed Kun off, and took a step back. “You let management bug your dorm? Then you brought me here to collect evidence? Kun, that’s so fucked up.”

Kun held up a hand. “Stop, stop, stop. You’re not understanding. I know Ten. I know what he does.” Kun’s voice sank an octave deeper, and his eyes darkened. He paused before he spoke again. “I know _exactly_ what he does.” There was the hidden layer of anguish hidden in his words. “Ten is an irresistible, well-intended, but manipulative whore. He’ll do anything to get what he wants. I have my own reasons for wanting to hold him accountable.”

“What are you saying?” Taeyong blinked, and wondered when was the last time he’d seen Kun blush. 

Kun admitted something he’d really hoped to avoid.

“He’s used me too.” Taeyong had never seen Kun look more uncomfortable. He shifted his weight, and kept talking. “Ten has shut me up in creative ways. It’s only happened once or twice, but Taeyong, I get it. Ten is charming. He’s beautiful, and you can’t help but love him. I can’t even begin to imagine all the shit he’s put you through.” His voice was getting heavy with emotions Taeyong had trouble identifying, but he could tell they were eerily sincere. Taeyong was beginning to feel like he could trust him again. Kun was placing enough trust in Taeyong to spill serious secrets.

But Taeyong had to clarify something first. 

“Ten doesn’t use me.” He said quietly.

Kun raised an eyebrow. “He doesn’t?”

Taeyong swallowed. He wished he was charismatic enough to defend one of his best friends, but right now, he was graceless and embarrassed. “Ten is complicated, but I know he’ll do anything for me. Ten means well.”

“He means well?” Kun scoffed. “Here is something I’m dying to know, why are you still trying to protect him? Have you seen what he did to your neck? Do you think this is the first time Ten’s gotten in trouble for being a slut?” Taeyong blinked at how easily the language rolled off of Kun’s tongue. “It’s my job to keep him on a leash, and I wish I could do a better job, I really do. You know what it’s like to be responsible for your members. Besides, I did all of this, because I knew the truth wasn’t going to harm either of you.”

“Huh?” Taeyong was more lost than ever.

“Ten can take whatever weak punishment they give him, and they aren’t going to punish you. In the end, it doesn’t matter who Ten sleeps with or what he does, because SM is never going to let him go. He’s one of the best performers the company has ever had. That goes for you too. I set this up so you wouldn’t be the only one to blame. They don’t need to know the details, but it’s better than nothing.”

Taeyong swallowed.

“The point is, you don’t have to worry. Now you can take the morning off, and forget all about Ten. You have nothing to cry about. He shouldn’t be manipulating you or blackmailing you anymore. It’s over.” He turned to leave the bathroom, but Taeyong shot out an arm to grab him before he could leave.

 “What’s… over?”

Taeyong didn’t understand what Kun just said

Kun shrugged. “It’s over. I helped Ten get what he wanted, for your sake. Whatever he was trying to get you to do, you don’t have to do it anymore.” 

A whole new wave of confusion crashed over Taeyong like a typhoon. He sharpened his eyes, and drew up some more confidence. Kun was clearly misunderstanding something.

“Please explain.” 

Kun offered a friendly smile. “I know Ten’s quest was getting to be too much for you. I would feel awkward about it too, considering who it’s about. Yuta and Doyoung were worried about Ten stressing you out over it, and they were right.”

Taeyong didn’t understand a single phrase Kun had said. He was still talking cryptically, it didn’t make sense. His brain filled in a few blanks, and Taeyong’s neck prickled with fear.

Taeyong’s big eyes stared into Kun’s soul. “It’s literally impossible for anyone else to do what Ten asked me to do.”

Kun cocked his head. “It was easy enough to figure out. Ten is simple, selfish, and insatiable. He wanted your help.”

“You know about the love game?” Taeyong tested.

Kun laughed out loud. “I wouldn’t call it that. I think Ten is just thirsty for your roommate. Frankly, it’s embarrassing.”  

Taeyong’s heart sank through the floor.  Kun didn’t know about the love game. He didn’t know anything. Taeyong reached into the shower to turn off the roaring water. The bathroom suddenly became quiet enough for his voice to echo off the tiles.

“What did you say?” Taeyong croaked, his throat feeling painfully dry.

“It’s obvious who Ten’s been dying to sleep with for years. I figured he wanted to check it off his list before he went to China. You don’t have to help Ten arrange it anymore. It’s over.”  Kun shrugged, and opened the door to leave. 

“Kun.”

Taeyong was terrified to ask.

“What did you do?”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Fourteen hours earlier 

 

Being totally alone was rare. _Feeling_ utterly alone was new.

Instead of going after Taeyong, Johnny spent an hour sitting among the dead winter plants in the back courtyard. He’d set his phone to silent, and turned off all of his notifications. He’d hardly moved since coming back to the dorms. He couldn’t get himself to go inside, even though his shirt was thin and the winter air was only getting colder. It didn’t matter how quickly the temperature was dropping, because Johnny was already frozen. His ears, his nose, and the tips of his fingers were pink from the bite of winter, but Johnny’s numbness was more than just physical.

_Why didn’t he go after him?_

Taeyong’s devastated face was still stitched to the back of Johnny’s eyelids, and it was becoming unbearable. With every minute that passed, the weight of his mistake seeped deeper and deeper into his body. Johnny’s throat felt tight, his stomach was pained with regret, and his long limbs felt impossibly heavy. 

_And for what?_

Johnny couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so sick.

Johnny had one contact pulled up on his phone. His thumb had been hovering over the call button for awhile. Johnny wasn’t ready to speak to anyone, but he hit call anyway. It was time to set up some kind of safety net for this crisis. 

Jaehyun answered after the first ring, like he always did for Johnny.

“Johnny?” He sounded surprised.

“Hey, Jaehyun.”

He could hear the ambient sounds of the bustling restaurant. He could hear giggly people having lively conversations, glasses clinking, and some kind of live music. It sounded like the group was having a good time.

Jaehyun spoke over the general noise. “What’s up, Johnny?”

Distantly, he heard someone fondly call out his name, but he couldn’t identify who it was. It sounded like a tipsy Mark.

“Uhh…” Johnny’s courage was beginning to unravel rapidly.

“Did you guys get back to the dorm?”

“Yeah. We did.” It was a simple question, but Johnny’s voice wavered with uncharacteristic uncertainty.

Jaehyun picked up on it. “Do you want me to bring back some food?”

Johnny nervously exhaled.

“No.” 

When it came to Johnny, Jaehyun didn’t need telepathy. He knew something was wrong. Johnny heard rustling and muffled excuses as Jaehyun got up from the restaurant table. Johnny cupped his hand around his mic to block out the outdoor wind’s interference. He’d never thought he’d be in a position like this. 

A few moments later, Jaehyun’s voice came back. “Johnny? Hey, what’s going on?” He sounded attentive and serious. The lively restaurant backtrack was gone. Johnny figured he moved somewhere quieter. 

“Did something happen?”

“Yeah, something happened.” Johnny smiled with tight lips, and looked up at the starless sky. “I screwed up, like, really bad. I’m not sure how to solve this one.”

“You screwed up? That doesn’t sound like you. Are you going to tell me what happened?” 

Johnny’s mind blanked. He watched his breath fog up the night air as he forgot every word in English and Korean. 

Jaehyun tried another question.

“Did Taeyong confess to you?” 

Johnny loudly choked on air, and suddenly found himself in a violent coughing fit. Jaehyun evaporated the tension with laughter, and gave Johnny a moment to regroup. Johnny distantly heard the sound of a notification chime on Jaehyun’s phone as he patiently waited for Johnny to pull himself back together.

“Why would you say that?” Johnny’s throat was raw, and his mind was buzzing. This was a surprise. “Where did you get that idea?”

Jaehyun answered nonchalantly. “I heard he might.”

“What?” Johnny tightened the grip on his phone. “Can you elaborate on that?” 

“C’mon Johnny.” Johnny could feel Jaehyun cracking a smile. “The rest of NCT might share one brain cell, but doesn’t take more than two to figure it out that something is going on. Even if Yuta didn’t have such a big mouth, I watched you two eyefuck each other on my bathroom floor last night.” 

Johnny let out a short laugh at that. He’d almost forgotten Jaehyun had been there for that part. It had been his bathroom after all.

“Besides, you two have a vibe. It doesn’t matter if Taeyong has something with Ten.” The sound of another notification blipped on Jaehyun’s line. “There is definitely a vibe. Like, are you pretending today’s rehearsal didn’t happen? We were all there, and we all have eyes. We’ve all seen you flirt, but that was just aggressive. Taeyong was just as bad, maybe even worse.”

Johnny groaned, and he wondered why he and Jaehyun had never talked about this before now.

Then Jaehyun popped that same, difficult question. “What happened?” 

Johnny focused, and worked up the courage to tell Jaehyun the full truth. “When I called you, Taeyong wasn’t sleeping, he was stuck in his worst panic attack yet. You know I’ve helped him through these before, but this was different. I’ve _never_ seen him this stressed out. It was really bad, Jaehyun, like, he should probably be hospitalized right now. But then, he was half asleep in the car, he uh….” Johnny thickly swallowed. “...he tried to kiss me, and I…” Johnny wished he could explain this better. 

Another notification chimed on Jaehyun’s end.

“... I didn’t kiss him back.” Johnny started to flounder. “Well, I did kiss him back, but then I stopped. I wanted to keep going, but I didn’t, and I should have. I feel terrible about it. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but the point is, I made Taeyong’s bad night way worse. I fucked up big time.”

Jaehyun took a second before he responded. 

“That’s rough, Johnny.” 

Johnny slouched and sighed. He tangled a hand through his hair and wondered where Taeyong was right now. 

“Do you know what made Taeyong break down? Why he’s so stressed out?” Jaehyun asked cautiously.

Johnny opened his mouth, and then closed it. That information wasn’t exactly his to share. Then Johnny decided that maybe it was best if Jaehyun heard it from him, instead of someone else.

“His manager asked him about the hickey.” 

“Oh shit.”

“Yeah.”

Silence.

The moment dragged, and Johnny heard another Jaehyun notification.

“C’mon, Johnny. This isn’t like you. It’s going to be fine. Borrow one ounce of your romantic spirit, and tell him everything you just told me.”

As Jaehyun talked, Johnny heard another notification go off, and then another and another. Then they didn’t stop chiming. It had gotten to a point where Johnny couldn’t ignore it anymore. 

“Hey, is someone trying to get a hold of you?” 

“Actually… I think…” Jaehyun’s voice drifted as he pulled away from the mic. “I think someone is trying to get a hold of you.” 

Johnny’s adrenaline spiked.

“Huh?”

“Check your messages, dude.” 

Johnny distantly heard Jaehyun say something else, but it didn’t matter, because apparently, his phone had blown up after he’d silenced his notifications. He found a long list of missed calls, and even more texts. 

The most recent texts were the most alarming.

  


**From: Ten  [7:31 PM]**

_To: Johnny Seo, Moon Taeil, Nakamoto Yuta, Qian Kun_ _,_ _Jung Jaehyun, Kim Doyoung, Dong Sicheng, Kim Jungwoo, Wong Yukhei & 10 others _

 

johnny seo needs to die

i will not explain myself any further

dm me his location or i’ll kill you too 

 

**From: Kim Jungwoo  [7:32 PM]**

oooh wat happened

ASAP!!!

 

**From: Ten  [7:32 PM]**

he broke something precious of mine 

 

**From: Qian Kun  [7:33 PM]**

ten this is the last time I will ever say this

do NOT weaponize the group chat

gcs are for business ONLY

 

**From: Ten  [7:33 PM]**

fuck off kun

m,aybe u should try adding some lube to the stick up your ass 

 

**From: Liu Yangyang  [7:33 PM]**

( ｣｡╹o╹｡)｣   AAAAAAAAA

 

**From: Nakamoto Yuta  [7:34 PM]**

wtf why didn’t you text TY

 

Johnny bit his lower lip. Some of those texts hit pretty hard. That last one hit a little _too_ hard. Yuta was always so sharp, and too direct for his own good.

But this meant that Ten must have found Taeyong.

“Johnny?” Jaehyun’s voice sounded like a distant echo. Johnny couldn’t really process what he had to say right now. His voice went into auto-pilot as his mind sailed far, far away. 

“I have to call Ten.” Johnny announced flatly. 

“Okay, do what you have to do. What do you want me to tell the members? You know they’re gonna ask me whats up as soon as I get back to the table.” 

Johnny stiffly nodded, and stood up from his spot in the withered garden.

“Tell them I stepped on Ten’s airpods or something.” 

“Okay, you got it.” Jaehyun paused again. “Yuta noticed Taeyong wasn’t included in this group chat. If he brings that up, I’ll just tell them Ten is being a moron who can’t remember all the members in NCT.”

Johnny smiled, and his chest felt warm with gratitude. “Wow, thank you, Jaehyun.”

“And I’ll warn you before everyone gets back to the dorms.” 

“Jaehyun, you’re a saint, and I don’t deserve you.” 

“It’s chill, Johnny. Really. Don’t feel guilty about it. Just sort out your shit, and I’ll try to help with the misunderstandings. Just be real. Everything else will find a way to work out.”

“Seriously, thank you Jaehyun. I promise I’ll tell you everything later.” 

Jaehyun ended the call with one sentence which stayed with Johnny for the rest of the evening. 

“You should stop keeping your feelings a secret.”

Johnny opened his mouth to respond, but then Jaehyun was gone, and the line was dead. Suddenly it was time to face Ten again. Johnny flexed his frozen fingers before making the call. He didn’t want to do this, but he couldn’t have Ten rampaging everyone in NCT with their personal problems anymore. 

After five minutes of hesitating, Johnny finally called Ten. Ten answered before the first ring even finished. 

“You’re dead to me.” His voice was bitter like burnt coffee.

“Ten, is Taeyong okay-”

“Of course he’s not fucking okay. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d permanently damaged after this.” His anger permeated through his words like repressed electricity. 

“Please let me explain-”

“I don’t give a shit about what you’re going through.” Ten’s tone was dangerously level. “None of your excuses are going to work on me. I _can’t_ believe you left Taeyong like that. I have _never_ seen him so fucked up.”

“Ten, please, listen-”

“Where the hell are you? I’ve looked everywhere. Wait, is that? Wind? Are you seriously outside right now? It’s fucking freezing. Oh my god, I can’t believe it, I can see you! I can’t believe I didn’t check outside. It’s January!”

Johnny looked up, and he saw a black bowl-cut flash by one of the brightly lit windows. 

“Don’t you dare move. I’ll be there, bitch.” Ten’s voice was saturated with disgust. “I seriously can’t believe you.”

Johnny blinked, and Ten hung up. He waited a moment before dragging his feet towards the back courtyard door. A minute later, Ten swung it open. He’d gotten downstairs faster than Johnny had thought humanly possible. The top two buttons of his silk shirt were open, and all he had were black jeans and socks. Ten was breathing heavily, and he was fuming with anger. 

“I have been trying to contact you for over an hour,” he hissed.

“Where is Taeyong?” Johnny asked. 

“Obviously, not riding your dick, where he should be.” Johnny didn’t have a chance to get another word in, because Ten grabbed a handful of Johnny’s shirt and yanked him inside the building.

The door shut behind them, and Johnny took a moment to marvel at Ten’s strength. Even though he was so small, he was always so much stronger than Johnny thought. A few rookies lounging in the common area peeked over their chromebooks.

Ten’s face scrunched up when he finally got a good look at Johnny. “God, you look terrible.” 

“Hi, Ten.” Johnny sniffled, and felt the warm air begin to thaw this freezing limbs. “Can we have a real conversation about this?”

Ten scanned the room. “Not here.” 

He gracefully spun on his heel, turning towards the dorm elevators. Johnny followed after him, and forced a smile as he gave the young rookies a wave.

Ten cackled chaotically. “I can’t believe I had to open a fucking group chat to get a hold of you.” 

“Yeah, why did you do that?” Johnny was careful not to come off as annoyed. “Isn’t it just worse… if… everyone… knows something happened?”

“Oh?” Ten smirked darkly. “You think I _wanted_ to get everyone involved in this? I was forced to get your attention somehow. I guess it was worth it, because unfortunately, it worked.”

Ten hit the up button, and then stepped into the empty elevator. “We’ll deal with the repercussions later. I really don’t care what anyone thinks.” He hit the button for the 127 dorm floor, and then took a few steps into Johnny’s personal space. “Thankfully, the rest of NCT is dumb as hell, just like you. They’ll believe whatever we tell them.” 

Johnny sucked in a deep breath as the elevator doors closed. He looked down at Ten, and asked the only question on his mind.

“Where is Taeyong?” 

 The moment the doors shut, they were alone, and Ten went off, like a thousand firecrackers.

“Oh? _Where’s Taeyong?_ That’s rich, Johnny. What are you gonna do? Go in for snuggle after rejecting him? You ignored my calls! My texts! You _destroyed_ Taeyong. Fuck you, Seo.” His voice was sour, like his words tasted so gross he couldn’t get them out of his mouth fast enough.

“Believe me, I wish I had handled it differently.” Johnny replied quietly. “It was so sudden.” 

“Bullshit, don’t try to lie to me, not right now. I know you didn’t kiss Taeyong on purpose.” Ten locked eyes with Johnny. “This morning, you dragged me out of a van, and told me you wouldn’t touch Taeyong unless I confessed my deep, dark, secret feelings for him. I never got to tell you this, but that shit doesn’t work on me. Congratulations Johnny, your challenge is worthless.” He jabbed a finger into Johnny’s chest. “You cockblocked yourself, broke your crush’s heart, and sacrificed the best chance you two had to get together. Good fucking job.”    

Johnny sighed with frustration, and rubbed his eyes. “How was I supposed to know Taeyong was going to try to kiss me today? It’s unbelievable.”

“Is it? Is it really?” Ten was exasperated. “I literally texted you last night.” Then he lowered his volume, churning his voice into venom. “Never try to manipulate me, ever again. You can’t threaten Taeyong’s happiness to force me into shit I will never do.”

Johnny stiffly nodded, agreeing with him wholeheartedly. He was overwhelmed by the confrontation, and ashamed that it was even necessary. His face was red, and his posture was terrible. It was obvious he didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Ten liked how guilt looked on him. 

Ten laughed like a witch. “Besides, you’re better than this, Johnny! You’re really not the type to play games. It was almost a cute attempt, but it just doesn't suit you.” His catlike eyes flickered with something threatening and cryptic. Then Ten spread his hand across Johnny’s heart. “Don’t play games you can’t win.”

Unexpectedly, the elevator chimed, the doors opened on a floor which wasn’t their destination. Out of all people, Hendery strode inside the elevator car. He wore a beaming smile, and he greeted Ten in sweetest Chinese Johnny had ever heard. Ten backed the fuck off of Johnny, and whipped around with his own smile, brighter than the sun. He cheerily replied, and they began to chat. Johnny didn’t know very much Chinese, but he knew enough to follow Ten’s level one conversation. Ten couldn’t last very long before he resorted back to English. Watching Ten flounder with language made Johnny’s mouth curl into a smile.

“This is why you need to spend more time studying with me.” Hendrey put his hands on his narrow hips, and shifted his weight. “Well, I’m glad I ran into you, because I was beginning to wonder where you went. You’ve been gone for so long, I was beginning to think you ditched me.”

Johnny sucked on his lower lip, and stole a glance at Ten. With years of knowing him, and a quick scan of his body language, Johnny could tell that Ten had totally ditched Hendrey’s chinese lesson earlier this evening.

The elevator doors opened again, and Ten signaled that it was time to go.

Ten wiggled out of the direct question by playing the sugary and cute card. “I’ll be right back but first I need to get my lucky pen from Johnny! He borrowed it to sign something important!” He finished with a hop and a wink. It was painful to watch. It didn’t matter if Hendrey bought the cheap lie packaged in Ten’s sing-songy voice, because the doors shut, and they were walking down the hall. 

“He’s cute.” Johnny offered a smile with a slight eyebrow wiggle.

Ten narrowed his eyes, and warned, “Don’t you start.” 

“Why not?” Johnny asked nonchalantly.

“Hendrey is absolutely adorable, totally fuckable, and I like him a lot, but we’re assigned to be roommates in China. I can’t mess that up.” 

Johnny laughed with his entire body. It rang through the halls like a fire alarm. 

“Now you have a problem with fucking up roommate relationships?” Johnny’s face hurt from how hard he was smiling. 

Ten smacked Johnny on the arm. “You and Taeyong are completely different! You’re soulmates! It’s gross!”

Ten stopped at Johnny and Taeyong’s dorm room. Johnny’s hand hesitated over the door handle. Ten noticed Johnny hover, so he flipped on his bright, plasticky smile and snapped his fingers. “Listen up Johnny, because this is what’s going to happen.” Johnny perked up, standing a little straighter. He didn’t realize Ten had come up with a plan.

“When you open that door, you’re going to find the love of your life deeply asleep. You’re going to spray some febreeze, pick up your room, and then maybe we can order takeout or something. I’m beginning to forgive you, because I know you want to make this right. Here’s the deal, when Taeyong opens his pretty little eyes in the morning, you’re going to say wakey wakey, apologize for your bullshit, and kiss him like a princess. Can you do that, Johnny?”

Johnny thought about what Ten was implying. It was simple, but it would flip his relationship with Taeyong in an instant. He felt butterflies hover in his stomach and his skin shiver. “You say that like it’s easy.” 

“Because it is that easy! I don’t think you understand, this is not up for negotiation. You got yourself into this mess, and I just told you exactly how you’re going to get out of it. You’re welcome.”

Johnny finally creaked open the door, and there he was. Taeyong was buried under his duvet, curled up in his bed, sound asleep like a hibernating animal. The lights were still on, so Johnny was able to get a good look at Taeyong’s sleeping face. His cheeks were red from dried tears, but his bare face looked pretty just the way it was. Johnny watched his small body rise and fall, and with every breath Taeyong took, Johnny’s shoulders found a way to relax. 

Behind him, Ten whispered, “Why is it so hard to get you together with Taeyong? Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

Twelve beats too late, Johnny distantly uttered one syllable.

“Yeah.”

Johnny’s low, lovesick voice made Ten scoff.

“You’re lucky you’re sexy and tall, because you can be _so_ goddamn stupid.”

  
  
  
  
  


Ten minutes earlier

Jaehyun opened the bathroom door, and was greeted by Yuta and Doyoung. Doyoung looked nervous, and Yuta’s face said he was ready to kill. 

Jaehyun stepped out of the way. “Uh, sorry, bathroom’s free now...” 

Yuta cut the bullshit by blocking him with his cellphone. “Why did Johnny call you?” Yuta’s eyes widened like a monster, and Jaehyun felt uneasy. He glanced down, and saw Ten’s group chat pulled up on Yuta’s phone. He wasn’t surprised. He figured someone was going to confront him about it at some point.

“We just want to know what happened to Taeyong.” Doyoung interjected softly.

“Tell us exactly what Johnny told you _not_ to tell us,” Yuta put his hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder, but Jaehyun shook him off. Even though he’d promised Johnny, Jaehyun didn’t have the energy to engineer a believable lie, so he gave in, and told them a half truth.

“Johnny called me because Taeyong had a panic attack. He said it was pretty bad, like bad enough to skip dinner. Then… um… Taeyong got upset and ran off. Also Johnny stepped on Ten’s airpods.”

Yuta and Doyoung looked at each other.

“Taeyong ran away? From Johnny?” Yuta stepped even closer, amping up his intensity. “There’s something you’re not telling us. Something big.” Yuta’s breath strongly of kimchi. 

Doyoung pulled out his phone. “Yuta, relax. Let’s just do something to make sure Taeyong is okay. If this just happened, we should act fast. Is anyone else at the dorm right now? Do you think someone could find him for us?”

Yuta hummed. “I think everyone is there but us. Try calling Kun, I bet he’d do it.” 

“Wah, that’s a really good idea.” Doyoung hit call, and held the phone to his ear.

Jaehyun scratched his head. “Why are you guys freaking out like this? Taeyong’s not dying or anything.” 

Doyoung ignored Jaehyun and waited for Kun to pick up. 

Yuta answered Jaehyun instead. “Oh believe me, Taeyong’s dying. It’s not just concert stress, there’s so much more going on. So you know how I told you Taeyong might confess to Johnny soon-”

Doyoung ripped the phone off his ear, and gasped, “You told him that?”

Yuta waved his hand, “It’s fine, that’s all I said. Jaehyun is chill, he should know. Whatever, that’s just a small part of a way bigger conspiracy.”

Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows, totally lost. “Conspiracy? Is having a crush really that complicated?” 

Kun answered his phone, and Doyoung refocused. His tone of voice totally changed. “Hey Kun, are you at the dorms right now? You are? Awesome, can you do me a favor? Can you see if Taeyong is okay? We just heard he had a panic attack.” 

Kun agreed to pay Taeyong a visit, but asked something else, and Doyoung’s smile faded. “Um? Does this have to do with Ten and Johnny? Yes and no, mostly no-”

Yuta loudly shouted behind Doyoung’s ear, “Yes! It totally does! Keep them far away from Taeyong! Their drama is beating the shit out of him!” 

Doyoung rolled his eyes, and cleared his throat. “Thank you, Kun. We can always count on you. Thank you for being so dependable. Can you text us when you find him?” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Ten leaned against the open doorway as Johnny looked for Taeyong’s bottle of febreeze.

Ten talked without looking up from his phone. “What do you mean, you can’t find it? Taeyong is never without it. It’s like, his favorite scent, besides….” He purred, “...yours.”

Johnny barked a little laugh, then covered his mouth. He still wasn’t used to the idea that Taeyong might be in love with him. This whole day still felt like a dream. Johnny stole a glance at Taeyong’s sleeping face, praying his chuckle hadn’t been too loud.

Ten snorted. “Relax, he’s so exhausted, I bet he could sleep through anything.”  

Johnny moved on to a different set of drawers, but he paused his search when he felt his pocket vibrate. Ten’s phone had made a little whoosh sound. Johnny checked his phone, and saw that Ten had attached a video to a text. He swiped across his screen, and as soon as he got a look, a zip of pain electrocuted his chest. One second of the goddamn video was all it took for Johnny to realize what it was. Ten hadn’t just sent a video. 

He’d sent _the video._

It sent Johnny right back to last night. 

The lighting was dark, but it was easy to make out someone’s unmistakable body, iridescently twisting under Ten’s dick.

“Even if it ended terribly,” Ten casually swiped his thumb across his phone, avoiding Johnny’s burning eyes. “You technically got Taeyong to kiss you within twenty-four hours, so I have to send you this.  I promised I would, and I keep all the promises I make. Sorry, Johnny.” 

Johnny’s throat constricted, and he held his phone in a death grip as he decided what to do next. His raw anger won over reason, but his reactionary rage made him sloppy. When he charged after Ten, he accidentally slipped on a sock, but managed to catch himself with a loud thump. Before Ten could react, Johnny shoved him with enough force to slam his body against the hallway floor. The breath was knocked out of Ten’s lungs, and sharp pain rang through the back of his skull. His phone slipped out of his hand and clattered down the hallway. It echoed as it went flying, but the sound quickly disappeared once Johnny started to yell.

Johnny rarely expressed actual anger. He could count how many times he’d been angry within the past five years. But somehow, Ten had managed to pissed him off twice today.

“TEN!” Johnny’s voice boomed. “You have to stop doing this shit!” Johnny knelt to the ground, and grabbed a fistful of Ten’s silk shirt, forcing him to sit back up. Ten glanced back into the dorm, fearing that Taeyong might actually wake up to this. Johnny yanked his blouse again. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that video is? That’s Taeyong! How many times do I have to say this to you?”

Suddenly, Ten swerved, and poked his head around Johnny’s broad chest. His muscles froze as he noticed something Johnny hadn’t. Johnny didn’t register Ten’s new wave of fear as anything but more squirming. Johnny shook him again, drawing back his attention. His smooth voice got low and deadly, because this was Taeyong he was talking about. Johnny was quick to get savagely protective.“We’re deleting every copy of that video, right now.”

Ten widened his eyes at Johnny, helplessly trying to scramble out of his grip. Johnny was too strong, and not ready to let him go yet. Ten swung his head to the side again, and cheerily projected out a greeting.

“Why, hello there Kun!” 

This got Johnny’s attention. He swiveled on his heel to see if Kun was really there, and Ten fought to get back to his feet. Kun watched Ten struggle with dead, judgemental eyes from the other end of the hall. Ten’s phone rested by his feet. He slowly leaned forward to pick it up. 

Kun had a plan, and so far, it seemed like it could work. 

Johnny’s mouth fell open with surprise, and he finally loosened his grip on Ten’s top. Ten scrambled to his feet, and raced down the hall like his life depended on it. His socks slid across the floor, but he wasn’t close to making it on time. Ten’s phone was already secured in Kun’s hands, and Kun’s eyes rested on the phone screen.

After three seconds, he flicked his gaze back up to Ten. He wasn’t surprised, just deeply disappointed. They maintained stone cold eye contact for a few moments. Kun communicate everything he needed to without saying a word. 

Then Johnny got to his feet, and joined them at the end of the hall. When Johnny reached them,  Kun’s expression melted like butter. He had a soft spot for Johnny. “I see that Ten found you. I’m glad to see you are alive and well, and not dead and killed.” Kun smiled. “Congratulations on winning whatever that was.”

Johnny forced out an awkward giggle. “Yeah, I’m a bad bitch, Ten can’t kill me.”

The vine reference went right over Kun’s head, and all Johnny got was an awkward, delayed reaction. “I was actually looking for the two of you. I just got a new Chinese phone number. Would you mind if I updated my contact info?” Kun was already editing his contact in Ten’s phone.

Johnny shrugged. “Sure.” 

He quickly deleted the Taeyong clip before handing his phone over. 

Ten squinted, not quite buying what Kun was selling. “You got a new phone number? Why did they give you a new phone number? I’m not getting one. No one else is.”

Johnny shrugged. He trusted Kun. “It’s not that uncommon. Remember when I had to get a new number after Yuta flashed mine on a vlive? I’m sure Kun has his reasons.”

Then Kun just stood there, holding on to both of their phones without moving. His eyes were looking somewhere far beyond Ten and Johnny. Kun nodded, as if he was signaling someone. Then Ten and Johnny decided to look over their shoulders. 

At the other end of the hallway, they saw Lucas take a tentative step out of Johnny and Taeyong’s dorm room. The floorboards creaked under his feet as he carefully stepped forward. He had an enormous blanketed bundle slung over his shoulder. Hendrey avoided their eyes, and stood near the stairwell, holding the door open. Before Johnny or Ten could register what was happening, Lucas silently mouthed one word. 

_Sorry._

Then he bolted into the other direction. The whole operation happened so fast, Johnny and Ten were too late to understand it before it was over. Johnny jogged down the hallway, but Lucas had already gotten a head start. He was already down a flight of stairs, and far away with his prize. Johnny frantically turned into his dorm instead of the stairwell, and Ten shot a look at Hendrey, but followed after Johnny.

Taeyong’s bed was empty.

Johnny tossed a few pillows around, but it was obvious what had just happened. There wasn’t a trace of Taeyong anywhere. Like a ghost, Kun slowly appeared in the doorway, still clutching their phones.

Ten whipped around, “Kun? What the hell?”

“Where is Taeyong?” Johnny’s face was distorted with worry, but mostly, his feelings were hurt. “Did Lucas just take him?” 

“Taeyong is going to be just fine.” He gave Johnny an apologetic smile, then he turned to Ten. His gaze glazed over with ice. “You two can get back to crawling all over each other.” And with that, Kun shut the door. 

Here at the SM dorms, the doors were lockable, but no one was allowed to share keys. So it was horrifying when they heard a key rattle and a bolt slide into place. Johnny and Ten lunged at the door, and slammed their hands on the knob at the same time. The door didn’t open. Somehow, Kun had gotten his hands on something he really shouldn’t be able to. A master key.

Once they got over the initial shock of being placed under house arrest, Johnny and Ten spent the next hour playing escape the room. They tried everything. The windows were too high up to jump from, and they couldn’t break down the door. They tried screaming for help, it was a lost cause, because this floor was empty right now. They considered digitally calling for help, but the only device connected to the internet was Taeyong’s phone. Neither of them knew Taeyong’s passcode. Even though they could dial one ‘emergency call’ number, neither of them could remember a full phone number to save their lives. Kun had really screwed them over.

Once their survival energy drained away, they gave up, got ready for bed, and killed the lights. Johnny crawled under his covers and Ten laid on Taeyong’s bed. Together, they stared at the ceiling and just talked. It’d been a long time since they've been able to hang out, and even though this situation wasn’t ideal, they made the best of being trapped together. Their schedules were about to get relentless with tours, comebacks, and upcoming albums, so they knew they wouldn’t get another moment like this. They caught up with each other's busy lives, and they promised to text each other everyday. They talked about how hungry they were, and Johnny apologized for being fresh out of snacks. They just continued like that. Talking to Ten was easy again. Underneath their recent veil of drama, Ten was still one of his best friends. A couple of hours slipped by, and they didn’t really notice time go by.

“Fuck, I’m cold.” Ten blurted out, unprompted.

Johnny glanced over, and remembered that Taeyong’s blankets had been stolen along with him. Ten did look cold. He was arms were crossed, and he was tightly curled up on the bare bed, in the middle of January. 

“Would it be weird if I said you could join me?” Johnny asked as he lifted up his duvet, and shrugged indifferently.

Ten scurried over, unable to resist Johnny’s warm comforter. Johnny rolled on to his side to accommodate his friend, totally forgetting how big his body was. Johnny tossed a few stuffed animals on the floor, and scooted closer to the wall, leaving a bit more room on the bed, but it didn’t make much of a difference. There was hardly enough surface area for the two of them, even with Ten’s back tightly pressed against Johnny’s torso. They were glued to each other, hip to hip, and neck to neck. Johnny and Ten were forced to spoon, but Johnny didn’t bat an eye. He stayed nice and relaxed, calmly breathing and melting his body around his icicle of a friend. Johnny slung this other arm over Ten’s waist, because it had nowhere else to go. Johnny’s mind remained sleepy and his heartbeat stayed slow. Holding Ten was kinda nice. He was tiny, like Taeyong.

“Is this better?” Johnny brushed his knuckles across Ten’s cheek, but that was a mistake. A tiny hitch escaped Ten’s lips, and Johnny realized Ten’s face was hot to the touch.

Ten curled his hands into fists, and then let them relax. 

Johnny asked a simple question. “Hey Ten, are you okay?” 

Suddenly, Ten coughed, and Johnny felt his whole body spasm against his. “I’m great.” 

Johnny tried again.“Is something wrong?”

Ten groaned and propped himself up on one arm. “Cuddling with you is bad for me, Johnny. I can’t do this. You smell good, and this is just gonna test my self-control. I can’t sleep here.” Then Ten’s tone sharpened. “This is where Taeyong is supposed to be.” 

Ten’s words made Johnny’s stomach twirl with guilt, but it didn’t stop him from wrapping his arms around Ten’s waist when he moved to get up. Johnny yanked him down easily, like Ten was another stuffed animal.

Johnny spoke organically. “Ten, stop worrying. I’m not gonna try anything. It’s just me. It won’t make a difference when you’re unconscious.  I think Taeyong would just want you to get some sleep. Besides, these are the only blankets in our room. Is it really so bad to share a bed with me?”

Johnny thought he was being reasonable, but Ten’s muscles were still uncomfortably tense. 

The words quickly tumbled out of Ten’s mouth before he could think twice. “I promised Taeyong I wouldn’t sleep with you.”

“What?” 

Ten nervously whistled, and then pulled up the comforter over his chin. “Forget it.”

“Ten?”

“Go to sleep, Johnny.” 

  
  
  
  


They actually slept pretty well until around two in the morning. Sleeping so close had made them sticky and hot. They were still glued to each other, but Ten’s legs hung off the bed, and Johnny had pulled back most of the blankets on his side. 

“Are you awake?” Ten whispered.

Johnny groaned. “I feel like I’ve been awake for a while.”

Ten hummed understandingly.

“I can’t stop thinking about Taeyong.”  

Ten opened his eyes.“Oh?”

A heavy silence hung between them as Ten waited for Johnny to go on.

“Ten, I need to confess something, but it’s embarrassing.” Johnny exhaled. “There’s another reason why I didn’t kiss Taeyong.” 

“I don’t think there’s anything you could say that would surprise me.” Ten smirked. 

 “Please don’t mock me for this.” Johnny adjusted his body, and Ten detected an ounce of nerves radiating off his breath. “I want to treat Taeyong right, I really do. I think about it all the time, but I haven’t…” His voice trailed off the surface of the earth. 

Ten twisted his body around to get a look at Johnny’s face. “What’s the problem, Johnny?” 

“It’s just that, I haven’t slept with a guy before.”

Ten smiled. “I knew that.” 

“You did?” Johnny gawked.

Ten laughed like a wind chime, relishing in this, like it was funny. “Of course I did! You’ve told me about the white girls you dated in America. Johnny, are you telling me you’re worried about sex?”

“I feel like you’ve set the expectations pretty high.” 

“Oh my god, this is so adorable. Are you worried about pleasing Taeyong like I can? Well, news flash, you won’t be good! But Johnny, that’s okay! You’ll have cute, clumsy, first time sex, and that’ll be more than enough for Taeyong.” Ten stretched out a hand to pet Johnny’s hair. “But honestly, Taeyong has got it so bad for you, you can just flex your arms, and I’m sure he’d cum on the spot.” 

Johnny looked away, feeling terribly flustered. “But… I want to be good.” 

Ten covered his mouth when he laughed. “With a dick like yours, you don’t have anything to worry about. Taeyong will be plenty happy.”

Johnny’s eyes flickered with fear. “That’s exactly what I’m worried about. Ten, I’m not small.”

That made Ten pause. There was urgency in Johnny’s tone.

“Okay Johnny, I’m going to show you something.” Ten slipped out from under the covers, and went to Taeyong’s bedside table. He opened the drawer, and pulled out a sleek white box Johnny had never seen before. When he returned, he pulled the comforter off the bed. Johnny sat up, interested in whatever Ten was about to share with him. Ten sat cross-legged, and opened the box.

Without any introduction, Johnny got an eyeful of Taeyong’s big, purple dildo. Ten took it out, and placed it unceremoniously in Johnny’s hands. Johnny wasn’t expecting the privilege of actually getting to handle it. He breathed through his mouth, and looked at Ten, his eyes communicating a million things at the same time.

“Does that feel familiar?” Ten grinned, like it was an inside joke. 

Johnny didn’t get it.

He marveled at the heavy, silicon toy. Johnny examined it, turned it over a few times, and then wrapped his fingers around it’s girth. It was long, unbelievably thick, and obscene. He had no idea Taeyong owned something like this. It gave Johnny more questions than answers.

Johnny squeezed the words out of his throat. “Taeyong can take this?”

Ten nodded. “Yes.” 

Johnny still didn’t believe it. His eyes were still clouded with disbelief, just because he couldn’t imagine it. 

“How?”

Ten stared at him.

“Johnny, where did you put the lube I gave you?”

“Bedside table. Hold on, what are you doing?”

Once Ten leaned over the bed, and pulled out the mini bottle of lube, there was no going back. Ten uncrossed his legs, and locked eyes with Johnny. 

“I wasn’t going to do anything else, but you are in desperate need of guidance. It would make me a shitty friend if I didn’t help you. Johnny, I need your explicit permission before I do this. Would you like me to show you how Taeyong could take something like this?”

Johnny widened his eyes, knocked over with surprise. His throat went dry, and his mind reset. He felt a chill go up his spine, because it was clear Ten was prepared to do anything for Taeyong. He wasn’t joking about this. Johnny ran a hand through his hair and huffed a big inhale, trying to get a grip over what Te was offering. “What you are going to do… exactly?”

“For educational purposes, I going to open myself up, and you’re going to watch me fuck this toy.” He explained what he was about to do was absolutely necessary. His tone hardly wavered. 

Johnny’s insides were buzzing now. He answered very quickly. “We can do that.” 

That was the permission Ten needed. He kicked off his sweatpants, stripped away his underwear, but kept his silk shirt on. The top two buttons were still undone, and it made Ten look like a disheveled god.

He sat up, his limp cock resting against his inner thigh. Johnny audibly swallowed, and adjusted how he was sitting. Johnny noticed Ten’s eyes trail down to Johnny’s torso, but then he ripped away his gaze.

Ten cleared this throat. “I need to make this very clear. I’m doing this for Taeyong. I’m not flirting with you. I’m not going to touch your dick, and we’re never going to do this again.” 

Johnny nodded, agreeing with Ten’s rules. “Understood.”

“I’m going to need to lay down to do this.” Ten added calmly. 

Ten laid on his back, spread his legs for Johnny, and found his materials. He uncapped the lube, and Johnny paid attention to how much he applied to his fingers. Like a million times before, Ten brought his hand to his hole, and rubbed his entrance with slick little circles. He didn’t let a drop drip on the sheets.

Johnny couldn’t believe this was happening. Just a minute ago they were talking, and now Ten was demonstrating prep. Johnny felt his cock react to Ten’s private show, but he resisted the urge to do anything about it. 

Ten played with himself, and talked through what he was doing. Johnny watched as Ten slipped in his fingers, one by one. Ten explained how to stretch, and how to be patient. As Ten taught, his breathing became more unstable. Ten closed his eyes, and lazily fucked himself with two fingers. Ten was taking his sweet time, and all the teasing was making him delusionally horny. He was getting high on pleasure, and it was getting dangerous. 

Ten wasn’t thinking clearly. With sleepy, fuck drunk eyes, Ten offered something he shouldn’t have.

He stopped what he was doing, and sat up. With his dry hand, he touched Johnny’s wrist. 

“Do you want to practice?”

Johnny blinked, and answered with a question. “Are you asking me to finger you?”

“How else with you learn?” Johnny noticed Ten was hungrily eyeing his big hands. 

“Ten…” Johnny warned. 

Ten had gotten needy and impatient. “Please don’t make me beg. I will.” 

Johnny held up a hand “Okay, but on one condition-”

Ten moaned. “Do _not_ try to set up another game.”

“This isn’t a game, or a challenge, it’s called: being an honest and good person. If I finger you, even if it doesn’t mean anything, we’re going to tell Taeyong about it. No secrets.” 

Alarms went off in Ten’s head, and anxiety bubbled through his lungs. “Taeyong is _not_ going to like that.” But still, Ten tossed the lube, and Johnny caught it in mid air. “Please don’t tell him before you’re an item.”

“I can agree to that.” 

Johnny poured too much lube on his fingers, and made a mess. Extra lube dripped down his hand, and stained the sheets below. Ten flopped on his back again, and Johnny got started. He didn’t know what he was doing, but after teasing Ten’s entrance little bit, he slipped a finger inside. Ten audibly responded, and Johnny took that as a good sign. Ten was so soft and wet, Johnny couldn’t believe it. He slowly pulled back and forth, and Ten encouraged him. With every movement, he could feel Ten’s body react around him. After a little bit of time, Johnny pulled out completely, and then came back with two fingers. Ten let out a wrangled little sound.

“You’re so tight.” Johnny remarked. “Try to relax for me.” 

Ten scoffed at how easily Johnny was taking control, but relaxed his muscles anyway. Johnny gently pressed on, and touching him so tenderly. Johnny stayed nice and gentle, especially when he went deep.

“Fuck, Taeyong is going to love this,” Ten mumbled, fluttered his eyes closed. “Johnny, try curling your fingers.” 

“Here?” Johnny asked, adding a gentle amount of pressure inside. 

“ _Oh my god_ .” Ten whipped his head to the side, and let out a strangled whine. Johnny had found Ten’s prostate, and now that he was there, he didn’t stop. “If you learn anything today, _please_ remember how to find this spot.” 

Without asking, Johnny pulled out, and returned to the same place with three fingers. Ten cried out, because Johnny’s thick fingers stretched him so well. Johnny took the hint, and started to fuck his fingers earnestly. Ten’s rim burned, his vision speckled, and stomach flexed with a mix of delight and shock. 

“Johnny.” Ten murmured his name like a prayer. 

“Are you good?” Johnny’s low, honey dipped voice was becoming too much for Ten. There was a familiar curl of heat tightening his gut.

“I’m ready.” Ten tossed the dildo in Johnny’s direction. 

“Wait, you still want this?” 

“C’mon Johnny, lube it up and put it in me, or I swear, I’m going to cum untouched.” 

Johnny glanced at Ten’s cock, bobbing hard against his stomach. It looked painful, and Johnny wanted to touch it just to provide some relief. He pulled out his fingers, and followed Ten’s instructions. Johnny coated the toy with lube, and then cautiously nudged the tip against Ten’s swollen hole.

“What are you waiting for?” Ten demanded.

“Have you done this before?”

Ten spat laughter. “Yes, Johnny, I have done anal before.”

“No, I mean, have you used this toy before? It’s just so big. I don’t want to hurt you.” Johnny still wasn’t sure if it would fit.

“Nope, but I sure would like to.” Ten reached his hand around, and guided Johnny’s wrist. “Please just fuck me, Johnny.” 

Then Johnny did it. He eased the toy forward, just enough so Ten could feel it’s full thickness. Ten moaned at the stretch, a little too loudly, and pulled at Johnny’s wrist, encouraging him to push the toy in further. He felt like he was being split in two, and it was perfect. Slowly but surely, Johnny eased in the toy, and marveled as he took it down all the way down to the flared base.

Johnny was spellbound, still not believing what he was seeing. His dick was straining under his sweats, and it was getting harder to ignore.

Ten barked another order at Johnny. “Put the rest of it in!”

“It’s all inside. You took the whole thing.” 

Ten’s chest heaved, and he couldn’t remember feeling so full. He wiggled his hips, and the sight was starting to threaten Johnny’s sanity. 

This was absolutely crazy.

“Ten, we should stop. You proved your point.”

Ten babbled uninterpretable nonsense in response. 

Johnny’s voice grew desperate and raw. “Ten, why are you doing all of this?’ 

Ten blinked, but didn’t respond, because he was feeling foggy and full of cock. He ground down on the massive toy, but still, Johnny didn’t let it move.

Johnny tried to grab his attention. “Ten! Listen to me! I said we can stop. Why are you pushing yourself so far?”

“Johnny! Please touch me!” Ten’s voice was strained and desperate.

Ten lifted up his head, and Johnny’s slicked up hand engulfed Ten’s dick. Ten’s mind whited out, and he threw his head back again, and moaned.  A suffocating amount of pleasure danced up his spine and crashed through his body. He wasn’t expecting it when Johnny slowly started moving the toy. His abdomen contracted, and Ten panted louder and louder, ready for release. 

With just a few strokes, Ten came. He clenched down on the fat toy, and spilled hot, white cum all over Johnny’s hand. A few drops got on his silk top, but Ten didn’t care. Who cared if the stylists saw this shirt again. 

Johnny slowly pulled out the toy, and watched Ten float down from his orgasm. He grabbed a dirty towel off the floor, and wrapped up the toy after wiping his hands clean. As Ten fluttered his eyes, and basked in sunny pleasure, he heard Johnny speak again. 

“I’m going to be real with you for a second.” Johnny’s voice wavered. “Can you tell me why you’re doing all of this? Not just this, I mean everything. Isn’t all of this heartbreaking for you? I mean, I know...” Johnny’s voice drifted. “...how much you love Taeyong.” 

Ten slowly sat up. He wore an easy smile, and his blissed out eyes crinkled as he revealed his deepest secret yet.

“Because I love you too.” 

That shut Johnny right up. Ten crawled into his lap like a cat, boundaries clearly not a thing anymore. Johnny hissed when he felt a lot of pressure on his groin.

“Thank you for that, Johnny. You’re gonna be wonderful for Taeyong. That’s why I’m doing all of this. I’m helping Taeyong get with the boy he loves, because I also love that boy. That’s how I know you’ll make him happy.”  

Ten’s expression was still dazed and stupid, so Johnny was having a hard time believing his words. But they resonated with him, deep in his heart. Ten meant what he was saying. He said it was such a straight face, Johnny had to do a double take. Ten’s voice was sincere, and his new smile was soft. He looked so relaxed and docile stretched across his lap, Johnny flushed. It felt like high school confession had just dropped on him in between classes, expect it was one of his best friends half naked in his bed. 

Ten’s focus was returning, but his tone stayed sweet. “ You are so much better for him. Honestly, I really don’t care if you kiss him, fuck him, or even get married in America. Actually, please get married. Sign the papers on your North American tour for all I care. Pull up to a courthouse in the tour bus, and host it on vlive. I’ll pitch in for Taeyong’s wedding dress. All I want is for the two of you to be happy.”

Johnny’s heart was beating so fast, and even if Ten was being cheerful, something still wasn’t connecting. 

Johnny pulled Ten into a tight hug, and placed a hand on the back of Ten’s neck. He spoke into Ten’s ear. “But what about you? You’re sacrificing so much. Ten, you’re feelings matter. You matter.”

An electrifying pulse ran through Ten’s system. No one had told me him that before, not like this. This is exactly why he loved Johnny, but right now, he hated him for it.

Ten’s voice shook, and he tried to laugh. It came out sounding pathetic. “For someone who doesn’t do feelings, I fell in love with a lot of people, huh?” 

Ten blinked rapidly, trying to get something out of his eyes. It was water. One drop slipped down his face, and Ten scoffed. He couldn't believe Johnny’s kindness was making him cry. Johnny firmly held him in place, not ready to let go yet. He’d hold Ten as long as he’d want him to. Ten buried his face in Johnny’s neck, and let out a muffled scream.

“Ten, it’s okay.” Johnny reassured him.

Ten pulled back, and ghosted a hand over Johnny’s crotch. “Are you good? Do you want me describe what Taeyong likes till you cum?”

Johnny chuckled. “That sounds great, but I think I’ll be fine. I can take care of it in the bathroom.” 

“Suit yourself. I’m going to order a pizza.”

Ten climbed off of Johnny’s lap, and picked up Taeyong’s phone.

“We still don’t know the passcode.” Johnny reminded him. 

Ten gave a toothless smile, and put it in Johnny’s hands. 

“0209.”

“Huh?” 

Ten’s smile twisted. “It’s your birthday. Taeyong’s passcode is your birthday.” 

Johnny tried the numbers, and Taeyong’s phone let him in. Ten was right.

Ten explained himself. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, even though it could have helped us escape.” Ten got off the bed, and took the phone out of Johnny’s hands. “I know it was petty of me, but I guess I’m still a little bitter that his passcode is your birthday and not mine.”

  
  
  


Johnny jerked off in the privacy of the bathroom, and Ten ordered pizza. Ten couldn’t remember a single phone number, but he had Kun’s credit card memorized. He’d been saving it for a stunt like this. An hour later, Kun got a rude awakening from one of the security guards downstairs. No one was allowed to order food this late. 

Kun grumbled when he tossed the pizza inside their room. He locked the door behind him and left before Johnny or Ten could ask why Kun was doing all of this. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Taeyong was sure of it. Kun was the only person in NCT who didn’t know he was hopelessly in love with Johnny Seo. 

“Kun.”

Taeyong asked again. 

“What did you do last night?”

“Ahh…” Kun broke their eye contact, and fished a loose key out of his suit pocket.  “I locked them in your dorm.”

With superhuman reflexes, Taeyong reacted the moment he saw a glint of silver. He charged at Kun, and successfully nabbed the key from his fingers. He pushed passed him, and bolted into the bedroom. He still didn’t have anything on besides the oversized t-shirt, so he flung open a random dresser drawer and grabbed the first bundle of fabric he saw. Fortunately, they were a pair of neatly folded boxers. Taeyong struggled to step into the shorts, and ran. It was a miracle that he didn’t fall on his face before Kun could get him. Kun followed, but stopped once he saw Taeyong sprinting down the hallway.

Kun pulled out his phone and called Doyoung. 

Doyoung picked up, but before he could greet him, Kun talked first. “Taeyong is awake.”

“Thank god. Yuta and I will be right back, give us a second.”

“Doyoung, I have something very important to ask you.” Kun sucked in a deep breath, his tone stayed serious. “Please answer me truthfully.” 

“What is it, Kun?” 

“Is Taeyong in love?”

Doyoung clicked his tongue. “Uh yeah, with Johnny.”

Kun hit the doorframe with a fist, and swore under his breath.

“Wait, why is that a surprise to you? Did something happen?” 

“Doyoung, I made a mistake. I made a big mistake. Taeyong just left, if you see him first, please tell him I'm so, so sorry.” 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [twitter](https://twitter.com/dyslexia____)   
>  [cc](https://curiouscat.me/dyslexia____)
> 
> hi! thanks for waiting! i hope you liked the longest and wildest update. the craziness isn't over yet ;P
> 
> I also made playlists that give a lot of insight to everyone's thoughts and feelings  
> Thank you for reading 7dtwj!!
> 
> PLAYLISTS: 
> 
> [taeyong](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2r09RUt4DSG8yIB4XAX88Y?si=PtlOeBN7S6i8fOTJo4ASgQ)
> 
> [johnny](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/501Fo8aNHYk2tabiC3wCRY?si=0NUyFKY_RPmOK_51uqLp_Q)
> 
> [ten](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4aqpU07l4N7X2lFwa6v3zz?si=eLbV7E80SSC4wDqWU4X9Ng)
> 
> [all of them together](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4RhyvxFqitdcUO5CN7StrX?si=z4xgnLztRWyhfhbd1Wvq1w)

**Author's Note:**

> this fic will have more chapters, so subscribe to find out how taeyong's gonna handle this


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